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The January 2000 exploration program resulted in individual monitoring wells completed <br />to the three fresh water aquifers and two individual monitoring wells completed in the <br />Dissolution $wface Aquifer (MWD-I and MWD-2). <br />The January P000 exploration program also demonstrated that the fresh water aquifers are <br />naturally protected from the saline waters by a positive presswe gradient. The fresh <br />water aquiferis are under greater presswe than the saline waters, thus preventing <br />contaminatton of the fresh waters. <br />The Rock School project ground water monitoring plan was developed prior to the <br />January 20001 drilling and exploration program. The exploration program proved the <br />Dissolution Surface Aquifer is not a resource. These waters can not be monitored to <br />demonstrate successful resource protection because they are not a resource. Instead, the <br />Dissolution SL<rface Aquifer needs to be monitored to.protect the_fresh water resources_bv <br />_ ~_ _~ . <br />insuring that it is not forced, through increases in presswe, into the fresh water resowces. <br />The best way'to protect the fresh water resource is to monitor and maintain the protective <br />pressure grad~ent. AmerAlia has installed such a monitoring system. Instruments are <br />placed in each of the three fresh water and the two Dissolution Surface Aquifer <br />monitoring wells to measwe the piezometric presswes. The instrument output is <br />processed ands recorded by a microprocessor. Data from the microprocessor will be used <br />in two different ways. Most importantly, a quick response operation failure alarm will be <br />directly linked to the plant operator station. Secondly, the data will be presented in <br />monthly reports to confirm protection of the pressure gradient protecting the fresh water <br />resources. Absolute protection of the fresh water resource, from the saline waters of the <br />Dissolution Surface Aquifer, is accomplished in this manner. <br />AmerAlia believes it is primarily our responsibility to protect the resowces and to <br />document the success of the program. AmerAlia identified the opportunity to better <br />protect the drinking water resource during the exploration and monitoring activity and <br />acted to do so. ~ AmerAlia has chosen to exceed generally accepted agency monitoring <br />requirements and expectations. AmerAlia's permit requirements did not include drilling <br />and monthly monitoring of the Uinta Aquifer. The exploration program goals, budget, <br />drilling_prograin, well completion m_eth_ods and accomplishments clearly exceeded the <br />established norms and agency requirements, especially for an experimental pilot-plant <br />operation. Am~erAlia's piezometric monitoring and alarm system is primary protection of <br />the fresh water) resource but is not a permit requirement. <br />AmerAlia knows of three disappointments expressed by the BLM related to AmerAlia <br />drilling, sampling and data reporting. <br />I- BTEX Would the gas lift sampling system impact the analytical results? <br />AmerAlia has resolved the BTEX issue by modifying the sampling <br />method to sample only Vaminar flowing water free of entrained nitrogen <br />)jiff gas bubbles. <br />I <br />