HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.02 Project descriptionPROJECT DESCRIPTION
The High Mesa Water Storage and Evaporation Facility will be used by
EnCana Oil & Gas (USA), Inc. ( EnCana) to store, recycle for drilling
operations, and evaporate produced water from natural gas wells within and
surrounding property owned by EnCana. The facility will also store
Colorado River water for use as make -up water during drilling and
completion operations.
The drilling, completion, and production operations of natural gas generate
brackish water commonly referred to as produced water. A portion of the
produced water from EnCana well sites within the surrounding area will be
stored for recycle use. The recycled water will be used for continued well
drilling and completion activities, thereby reducing the demands for fresh
water supplies.
The High Mesa Water Storage & Evaporation Facility will be constructed as
a tiered pond storage facility with a capacity of approximately 302,000
barrels. Produced water will be transported by trucks and pipelines from the
well sites and offloaded into a battery of above ground, steel storage tanks.
These tanks will allow for a skimming process to occur in order to remove
any petroleum constituents prior to emitting the produced water into the
storage pond. Separate steel tanks will be used for collection of the
petroleum constituents. Containment structures will be installed around the
above ground tanks to meet EPA regulations. During the life of the facility,
it is possible that an electronic water treatment system may be used to lower
the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of the produced water to well below 2000
parts per million (ppm).Fresh water will be trucked into the pond from the
Colorado River until such time as a buried pipeline system can be
constructed in order to minimize the impact from truck traffic.
Evaporation from the pond will occur as a natural process through
atmospheric contact with the surface of the water within the pond
containment area. No current plans have been made to install an aeration
system. Should this type of system be required in the future, proper
notifications will be submitted to include an amendment to the Garfield
County Special Use Permit.
An electric powered pump will be used to transfer water to and/or from the
water hauling trucks at the facility A building will enclose the water pump
and associated electrical controls. The pump building will be designed to
provide weather protection for the pump and controls and will also serve as a
sound damping barrier from the pump. The anticipated size of the building is
100 square feet and will be located in the tank battery area at the east end of
the pond facility. The building is a static structure and integral part of the
finished facility. As such, it will have the same general characteristics as
other permanent structures at the site, in terms of use and hours of operation.
An air pollution emission notice will be filed with the Colorado Department
of Public Health and Environment. EnCana is currently obtaining an
agreement with Holy Cross Power Company and right-of-way easements for
construction of a three -phase power supply line into the facility.
The facility will be permitted concurrently under the authority of the
Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and the Office of the State
Engineer, Division of Water Resources. The process of obtaining the
centralized E &P waste management facility permit is currently underway.
EnCana will maintain compliance with the conditions of the County and
State authorizations and the operator must be familiar with the conditions
placed on operation of the facility. The water pond and condition will be
checked at least once per day. The daily check will be conducted by site
personnel who spend the majority of their work shift in the immediate area
of operations. At most, routine operation of the facility will require two
round trips per day of a pickup or similar vehicle from Parachute, Colorado
to the site.