Colorado Water June 2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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the water to residuals, so the output is estimated to be 32,000 barrels per day. Water Quality Results These are the actual water qualities determined in the pilot study; they differ from the historical numbers: Parameter Initial (mg /L) Final (mg /L) TDS 6000 145 Temperature 150 to 175° F 90 Boron —16 1 -2 Ammonia 9.3 2 -11 Silica ~10 not detectable Hardness 1 -5 not detectable TOC 120 2 Water quality with respect to TDS, at least for Southern California, is excellent. Our state water project water has a TDS usually of about 300. Ground waters can be anywhere from 500 to 1,000. Temperature has been reduced, boron removed. Ammonia is still high, but we think we can address that through some alternative cooling mechanisms. Silica was removed, hardness was removed, TOC is down to 2 mg /L. The technology is clearly there to meet our objectives. Total Project Costs Based on this particular project, we estimate the plant would have a capital cost of about $10.6 million. The treated pro- duced water would cost about $0.16 per barrel. These figures reflect use as recycled water and do not reflect the potable or industrial reuse options that we looked at. Technical Conclusions • We clearly can meet the water quality objectives. The tech- nology is there to do that — it's improved quite a bit since the time this research was done. • The cost for treatment is comparable — slightly higher than the disposal cost that the oil field is currently experiencing. • The cost of the water is more expensive than imported water but only slightly higher than local recycled water sup- ply. Right now, when we go out to seek additional state water project entitlements — predominately from agricultural areas — we can acquire and confirm that water supply at over $500 an acre -foot. The recycled water that we're developing tends to be about $1,000 an acre -foot when we include the long term development of the program. The earlier phases are more expensive than that. • Just as important, this supply could avoid some of the envi- ronmental issues associated with our other supplies. We get our state water from a very fragile area called the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta, fraught with environmental issues. We're not clear that we can get any more additional water supplies; whether from agriculture, but certainly from the project as a whole. So, why has it taken us so long? We've gone more than a decade now trying to discuss with the oil field operator a produced water reclamation plan. We've shown through research that the technology is available. The costs seem to be in line; and yet, the project still languishes. This analysis is based on my limited experience in California, with this project and others I've been involved with. I've bro- ken down the causes for delay into three basic reasons: Cause Water Petroleum Priority -Relatively •Oil Price Fluc- Small Supply tuations • Competing • Competing Issues Issues • Other contam- *National Focus ination issues • Supply and Demand • Local Focus Expectations • Not Familiar • Not Familiar With With Water Sup - Produced Water plies *Long Time -Short Time Frame Fame • Consistent • Investment long -term sup- driven ply *Perception of *Long develop- Value — water ment time shortage •Perception of • Willing to Take Value — water Risk quality issues *Risk Adverse Communication *Little Outreach -Little Outreach to Petroleum to Water *Prior Relation- *Prior Relation- ship Based on ship Based on Contamination Contamination Issues Issues -Primary Fed- *Primary Fed- eral Agencies eral Agency: BOR & ACOE DOE •Primary State •Primary State Agency: Health Agency: Re- sources What Should Be Done? Clearly, research is going to help. Senator Domenici's Bill 1860, is a real good start. It funds some of the technology; it will research things that exist in this particular area. We need to expand our horizons about what areas are considered research. In my observation, problems are as much transac- tional as they are technology. We need to improve the social sciences and how we can better and more quickly come to