Oil & Gas Production Water Impoundment
Project Profile
Oil & Gas Production Water Impoundment
| OWNER | Oil & Gas Exploration Company |
| SIZE | 5 acres |
| LOCATION | Pennsylvania |
| DESIGN/MATERIALS | 3:1 Slopes Conductive HDPE geomembrane Brine-resistant GCL Geocomposite leak detection layer Conductive HDPE geomembrane Cushion non-woven geotextile Speciality geomembrane leak detection testing |
Constraints
National/Local EPA Oversight
Operation of a Leak-Free Design
Stringent Safety Concerns
Community Concerns
Accelerated Construction Schedule
Background
The oil & gas water impoundments located in several counties in PA were deemed insufficient by the EPA and local DEP Agencies following several investigations into groundwater impacts. The previously constructed water impoundments were not performing as designed, and potential water contamination was a concern. In order to continue operation of these impoundments, they were under strict supervision by state and local officials to upgrade several to new and safer standards. The Pennsylvania Environmental Council pushed the legislature and owners for thicker double lined systems in all holding ponds.
Solution
Hallaton Environmental Linings was contracted to provide design and material input to implement a new best practice geosynthetic impoundment design. It was recommended that owners install a multi-layer geosynthetic liner system consisting of 4 layers: a primary HDPE geomembrane liner, a geocomposite leak detection layer, a secondary HDPE geomembrane liner, and a bottom geocomposite drainage layer. In addition to the double lined system, Hallaton provided geomembrane leak detection testing post liner installation per ASTM D 6365.
