It’s well-known that produced water, in particular, can have negative effects on the water and soil surrounding the oil field. No one in the industry goes long without being reminded of the fact. Nonetheless, it still remains a challenge to find solutions to protect the environment without excessive costs for the installation or operation of the fracking well pad. It’s possible to balance out protection and price with the use of the right materials and techniques proven by decades of real worl use. These are the most important tactics to use to protect frac pits from leaking, seepage, flooding, or otherwise releasing contaminated water.
Appropriate Liner Use
The installation of an impermeable liner in every frac pit, regardless of what it contains, is a strong start to containment for hydraulic fracturing. The depressions used for frac pits and ponds are tricky to line with many materials because they’re usually large and feature shallow curves and gently sloped banks. Flexible polymer liners are the best choice for lining these kinds of pits and ponds, but only if the right material is chosen. Even within a specific family of polymers, one type might work better than another due to its hydrocarbon resistance. Using a concrete liner alone, or leaving the pit unlined, dramatically increases the chances of leaks and seepage issues, leading to contamination from produced water or costly losses of fresh water.
Spillway Protection
Planning for overflow, wave splashing, and other causes of accidental release is just as important as lining the frac pit. Spillways and drains are essential for managing overflow, but they can also pose contamination risks for surrounding soil and nearby water if they’re left unlined. Without a spillway, a dam easily becomes either overtopped or collapses under the weight of the water when there’s a flooding event. Even though the majority of US fracking operations are located in arid areas, these regions can still experience rare but occasional 100-year floods. Spillways must be sized for these kinds of potential overloading events and lined properly so that there’s no chance of leaks while the trenches and drains are filled.
Secondary Containment
Spillways and drains for emergency flooding conditions are only as good as the secondary containment features where they direct the overflow liquid. These containment basins are also essential around and under any free-standing tanks, transfer stations, and the drilling pad itself. All of these areas have high leak risks and are too likely to develop contamination issues if they’re not lined. Secondary containment requires large surface areas much like frac pits, so they’re best lined with flexible materials as well. It’s possible to use the same liners for both primary and secondary containment in fracking when you choose the right products from BTL Liners.
Water Treatment
Treating produced water that is high in oil, radioactive content, or even bacterial colonies can occur on site with the help of frac pits. This means that each passing week and month of storage also reduces the risk of environmental damage if there’s a spill or leak. Eventually the water may have its quality improved enough that it’s possible to reuse it directly for new fracturing processes or to safely release it into the environment. Investing in treatment ponds and equipment can both protect the environment and reduce costs for disposal at the end of the lifespan of the produced water.
Proper Disposal
Speaking of the end of the lifespan, produced water is most commonly pumped into closed wells and other underground storage areas. Other options include treatment to reduce water and sludge to solid waste for landfill disposal, buried tanks and concrete vaults, and using the same lined pit for both temporary and permanent storage. Permanent storage frac pits must be designed with the space on top for a thick cap of multiple feet of soil and concrete to ensure the waste sealed below can’t reach the surface. The best disposal method varies depending on the location and the availability of waste processing support services. But no matter what is chosen, it must be designed to keep the radioactive and hazardous residues from spreading into the environment, even 50 years later.
Start frac pit protection with the right liner and back it up with careful design and attention to the end of the wastewater lifecycle. Frac pits can even serve as the permanent disposal site with a liner designed to last for decades with full buried installation. Only the toughest hydrocarbon resistant polymer liners can provide this kind of reliability. Talk to our team here at BTL Liners to find the right liner material for every kind of frac pit and pond.
