Geothermal development and the Salton Sea. Memorandum report
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of the Salton Sea, a key element of the Imperial Valley water system, to potential geothermal development. The most damaging effect would be the direct flow of geothermal brines into the Sea in large quantity (e.g., flow from several typical production wells). Not only would the rate of salinity increase be noticeably accelerated, but the added water would aggravate an already disturbingly high surface level situation. Both water quantity and quality considerations suggest that the Salton Sea cannot be used as a repository for large amounts of geothermal brine. Diversion of some of the inflow to the Salton Sea will have the beneficial effect of lowering the surface level, but will also tend to increase the salinity level. The use of Salton Sea water for injection fluid to maintain geothermal reservoir pressure will lower the elevation of the Sea and reduce its salinity. However, these beneficial effects will only be felt after the passage of many years, thus geothermal development does not offer an instant solution to the immediate problems of water quality in the Salton Sea.
- Research Organization:
- California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena (USA). Environmental Quality Lab.
- OSTI ID:
- 7091244
- Report Number(s):
- PB-263796; EQL-MR-17
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AVAILABILITY
BRINES
CALIFORNIA
ENERGY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FLUID INJECTION
FLUIDS
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
GEOTHERMAL FLUIDS
IMPERIAL VALLEY
MANAGEMENT
NORTH AMERICA
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SALINITY
SALTON SEA
USA
USES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER QUALITY
WATER REQUIREMENTS
WESTERN REGION