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V. ALTERNATIVES UNDER FURTHER STUDY Other alternatives, as developed through the plan formulation process which would either supplement evaporation or cut costs significantly, are being reevaluated. of three possible alternatives. A. Deep Well Injection An alternative method of brine disposal would be injection into one or more deep wells. The most suitable place for deep well injection appears to be one or more geologic formations beneath Purgatory Flat. This alternative has not yet been investigated in sufficient detail to determine its feasibility. The conceptual plan would be to convey brine and sludge to Purgatory Flat as in the feasibility design. The brine would be filtered and injected into two 6, 500-foot wells. Three wells would be drilled to allow for backup and for routine well maintenance shut- downs. A 50-acre-foot storage reservoir would be provided between the sludge separation and filtration facilities to provide a 7-day storage of brine in case of unforeseen system outages. Operation and maintenance activities would include operation of sludge settlement facilities as in the feasibility plan, plus operation of pumping and filtration stations and annual cleanout and chemical treatment of wells. Seismicity and ground-water quality in the vicin- ity of the disposal area would be monitored. The potential of this alternative is to reduce brine disposal costs up to 80 percent while greatly reducing land use impacts. Current studies began October 30 after a contract was awarded to Jordan-Avent Inc., San Francisco, California. A two-phase study program will determine the feasibility of deep well injection into the geologic feature known as the Harrisburg Dome. The study will analyze the chemical compatibility of waste brines from a desalting process with known geologic characteristics of potential() ~!i'2Yf formations. This compatibility analysis will include an appraisal pond construction Following is a list ?o