Hydrogeologic aspects of brine disposal in the East Poplar oil field, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, northeastern Montana

Conference · Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5324076

Craigg, S D; Thamke, J N ^[1]

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1. Geological Survey, Helena, MT (United States)

The East Poplar Oil Field encompasses about 70 square miles in the south-central part of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Oil production began in 1952 from the Mississippian Madison Group. Production depths range from about 5,500 to 6,000 feet below land surface. Large quantities of brine (water having a dissolved-solids concentration greater than 35,000 milligrams per liter) have been produced with the oil. The brine has a dissolved-solids concentration of as much as 160,000 milligrams per liter. Most of the brine has been disposed of by injection into shallower subsurface formations (mainly the Lower Cretaceous Dakota Sandstone at depths of about 3,300 feet and the Upper Cretaceous Judith River Formation at depths of about 1,000 feet). Smaller quantities of brine have been directed to storage and evaporation pits. Handling, transport, and disposal of the brine have resulted in its movement into and migration through shallow Quaternary alluvial and glacial deposits along the Poplar River valley. Locally, domestic water supplies are obtained from these deposits. The major point, sources of shallow ground-water contamination probably is leakage of brine from corroded disposal-well casing and pipelines. Using electromagnetic geophysical techniques and auger drilling, three saline-water plumes in alluvial deposits and one plum in glacial deposits have been delineated. Dominant constituents in plume areas are sodium and chloride, whereas those in nonplume areas are sodium and bicarbonate.

• OSTI ID: 5324076
• Report Number(s): CONF-9305259-; CODEN: GAAPBC
• Journal Information: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:5; Conference: 89. annual meeting of the Cordilleran Section and the 46th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Section of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Reno, NV (United States), 19-21 May 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AQUIFERS
WATER POLLUTION
BRINES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
WASTE DISPOSAL
CONTAMINATION
GROUND WATER
INDIAN RESERVATIONS
INJECTION WELLS
MONTANA
OIL FIELDS
OIL WELLS
SALINITY
SOLUTES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
POLLUTION
RESOURCES
USA
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER
WELLS
020900* - Petroleum- Environmental Aspects
540220 - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)