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Permalink Reply by lanadan Ds3 on March 19, 2009 at 22:20

I don't have any info whatsoever about upcoming salt water disposal sites in La. I did, however, have a short conversation recently with a man who is a supervisor for a surveying crew. He told me that they were in the process of staking out a ROW for a salt water pipeline that would run from about Carthage, Tx. to somewhere in northern Red River Parish. I don't have any info other than this and I don't know if this is relevant to your question, I'm just "chunkin'" it out. Have a good one!

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Permalink Reply by J Harris on March 21, 2009 at 19:17

Wonder why Red River Parish? Doesn't seem very fair to dump on them.

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Permalink Reply by J Harris on March 21, 2009 at 19:14

Thank you for your reply. I will give them a cal on Monday and let you know what I find out.

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Permalink Reply by Raybies on March 21, 2009 at 1:43

One of the things Chesapeake has been conducting, in the Barnett shale, is to negotiate with local water municipalities and arrange for the construction of two water pipelines inside their existing gas pipeline easements. (They will also ask for a slightly larger easement where needed). The purpose? To provide, disgard, and recycle the frac water.

It works fairly well. Unfortunately the economy has halted construction of a majority of these lines.

Also on the western boundary of the Barnett shale a company (Fountain Quail if I recall) is taking it upon themselves to construct these lines (picture a more remote area not serviced by "city water") and then charging the gas companies for its use. If it works for them, I would expect more of the same in the Haynesville shale area. If a company isn't doing it already.

It would be in everyone's interest to contact their local representatives and let their opinion and other available options be known. The last thing anyone would want is to contaminate ground water.

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Permalink Reply by J Harris on March 21, 2009 at 19:12

Yes, I agree with you that it will reduce trafic. You must agree though that those tanker trucks carry tons of salt water, and if allowed those tons of salt water will be pumped in the gound around our homes. I live in the country and have had a gas well drilled near my home that ruined my water well. The gas well that was drilled to 10,000 feet and my water well was about 200 feet deep. When the well was frac'ed the water from my water well turned back and was never drinkable again. If you look at the well depths on most of the salt ewater disposal wells in east Texas you will see that they are only about 5,000-6,000 feet deep. I undersand that these wells are not frac'ed but I know to how 100's of chemicals that are lumped into the general term salt water are as well. These chemicals can be very corrosive and can eat holes in metal pipes. Makes me wonder how deep are the springs that feed Cross Lake, I assume that is where Shreveport still gets some of its drinking water from. Just a thought.

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Permalink Reply by lanadan Ds3 on March 21, 2009 at 20:40

For the past 15+ years I have lived on Hwy 191 in S/W DeSoto Parish. This hwy has been designated by the State of Louisiana as a "Scenic Highway". It runs S/E from outside of Logansport down to, I believe, Hwy 6 west of Many, La. This is indeed a beautiful drive this time of year!

However, the INCREASE of O&G related traffic on the upper end of this highway just within the past 6-8 months has been horrific! MANY of these vehicles are the SW trucks that, I assure you, waste NO TIME in getting, say, from point A to B!! To say that this northern end of 191 has become DANGEROUS is putting it lightly.

Furthermore, these trucks are going across the Sabine river at Logansport (state line) to SWD sites in East Texas. If anyone thinks that a SWD well is just a lil ole' "poke in the ground" and that's all, then a drive across that bridge into the area just west of it (Haslam, TX.). It would be an eye-opener, I think, to just look left and right at the SWD sites there.

Under NO circumstances would I sign a lease that even remotely hinted at a SWD well!

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Permalink Reply by J Harris on March 22, 2009 at 17:13

I live on the state line road just a few feet into Texas, and as Landan Ds3 states Texas is taking on more than it's fair shair of salt water and disposal sites. And yes I feel your pain as to the increased and crazy driving habits of 18 wheelers everyday here. Lets not fix one problem by causing another though. All of my family lives on the LA side of the hwy and I hate to see LA spoted with loads of salt water disposal sites like TX has allowed. There not very attractive and there almost always right next to the road. As far as Cross Lakes water, I don't know it might not have springs. I do know however that Dixie Lake in Carthage TX had oil based drilling mud and poison gas arrupt from it a few years ago when a well was drilled near it. Killed a lot fish and other animals in the lake, if I remember right. I would bet that Cross Lake has some natural springs feeding it as well. My family has dug a lot of ponds and it's hard not to hit a spring if you dig very deep around here. And as far as O&G companies monitoring lines I know they do the very best that they can but have you looked around lately, there are literally thousands of miles of pipe lines around here now. And more being built everyday. Do you remember last month when the pipe line blew up in Carthage TX and a home was burned? That pipe line was built in the 50's and wasn't made to withstand the increased pressure that Hanesville Shale wells produce. There is no age limit on pipe lines. My Great Grand Father signed the right-of-ways permitting some of the ones around my home in the the 30's and 40's. Just food for thought.

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Permalink Reply by The_Baron on March 23, 2009 at 3:31

J Harris,

Are you sure the problems whith your water well weren't caused by a drawdown. I have a hard beliveing the frac itself was at fault. If the water level in your aquifer was drawn down quickly and dramatically (maybe by the driller filling his tanks prior to the frac) there could easily been some salt water intrusion from natural source. '

I am unfamiler with Texas, but surely there is an agency that regulates water wells.

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Permalink Reply by Darrin McClary on March 23, 2009 at 9:08

I live in Sarepta, LA and have a salt water disposal well directly behind my property (the well property and my property share my fenceline). It has been in operation for approximately 20 years with no ill effects. We are on municipal water so I can't speak to infiltration to water wells.
The tanker traffic is fairly heavy but we seem to co-exist well (the road runs beside my house). I have been accomodating to them and they have reciprocated. They slow down to a crawl anytime any of my family is outside as to not 'dust us out' from the road dust.
Generally speaking, no issues with having a disposal well operating immediately adjacent to my property.

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Permalink Reply by Harold (t12n r9w s6) on March 23, 2009 at 15:03

I currently drive one of the Vacuum trucks used in hauling the saltwater. I am from Coushatta but now am living in south la ( still own a house in Coushatta ) I haul around the Lafayette to Lake Charles area. The company i work for CHI owns three of its own saltwater disposal sites. If anyone is using the way the disposals are in Texas i would like to inform them that the Texas regulations on disposals is very lax
Louisiana has some very strict rules and regulations, compared to Texas. Just getting the permits to put in a disposal site is extremely tough. CHI's last disposal took almost 2 yrs to get approval.
PS if you are approached about a disposal on your property, when negotiating the lease ask for a percentage of the revenues from the oil that also comes in with some of the saltwater, it is separated out and put in oil tanks on location and sold just like the oil companies sell it. These wells are very safe, our newest location is surrounded by rice fields and one location has cattle all around it.

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Permalink Reply by marie on March 24, 2009 at 12:34

We have 6 acres on Toledo Bend on the water. We have lived there for 3 years . Our well taste just like salt water I was wondering how I can find out if it was a dump for the salt water from wells at one time. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Ruth

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