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Permalink Reply by sesport on November 25, 2009 at 13:28

fred - That description you give does sound questionable at the very least. Did you keep the sample or throw it back? If it were me, I'd be rummaging around for contact names and numbers for someone who could do an independent water quality test.

good luck :0)

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Permalink Reply by intrepid on November 25, 2009 at 17:04

You're exactly right, in my opinion. If approached about this take some test samples and see what some actual experts say about it being good or detrimental for your land. Don't guess about something like this.

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Permalink Reply by king john on November 26, 2009 at 2:50

hello all and happy thanks giving !!!
i read all the comments before and i have this to add,
i have had this type of material spread on a small trac about a year ago. i based my decision on first hand accounts ( people who had done it prior) and some research on my own.
the "spread" leaves a residue that is oily in nature at first but after a couple of rains, absorbs into the ground. i havent seen the fertilizer affect yet, but do expect to, this next spring.
as to why it has a fertilizer affect??? i can offer only my best guess...
a large part of the "spread" consists of the drill bit cuttings. so, i would presume these cuttings would be organic and highly charged with minerals. i dont think i would ever do it twice on the same trac, but i deemed it beneficial to do atleast once. as to the oily residue? it reminds me of one of my daughters science experiments... layers of dirt and sand and rock, make a very good filter.
king john

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Permalink Reply by king john on November 26, 2009 at 2:57

almost forgot...
no three headed calves as of yet. will keep the group posted as to any adverse affects to livestock.
kj

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Permalink Reply by sesport on November 26, 2009 at 3:51

Fred describes a smell like watered down gasoline. Did yours smell like this? I was afraid to joke and suggest he try to light it ... BOOM ... :-P

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Permalink Reply by jffree1 on November 26, 2009 at 4:03

This website has a lot of information on land farming and additional reference material:

http://web.ead.anl.gov/dwm/techdesc/land/index.cfm

(excerpt)
Land Farming
The exploration and production (E&P) industry has used land farming to treat oily petroleum industry wastes for years. Land farming is the controlled and repeated application of wastes to the soil surface, using microorganisms in the soil to naturally biodegrade hydrocarbon constituents, dilute and attenuate metals, and transform and assimilate waste constituents.

Land farming can be a relatively low-cost drilling waste management approach. Some studies indicate that land farming does not adversely affect soils and may even benefit certain sandy soils by increasing their water-retaining capacity and reducing fertilizer losses. Inorganic compounds and metals are diluted in the soil, and may also be incorporated into the matrix (through chelation, exchange reactions, covalent bonding, or other processes) or may become less soluble through oxidation, precipitation, and pH effects. The attenuation of heavy metals (or the taking up of metals by plants) can depend on clay content and cation-exchange capacity.

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Permalink Reply by sesport on November 26, 2009 at 8:16

Thanks jffree, I'll read through it. I'm inclined to find more, though, as the homepage does state who the industry partners are for this.

The Drilling Waste Management Information System was developed by Argonne National Laboratory and industry partners, ChevronTexaco and Marathon, under the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Natural Gas & Oil Technology Partnership program. Funding for the project was provided through DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory.

Not screaming evil anything, just cautiously doing further checks. Better to err on the side of caution, IMO. I get that from work. lol :0)

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Permalink Reply by jffree1 on November 26, 2009 at 10:11

I don't blame you. Not advocating or advising here. Just providing more information for the inquisitive. I looked at land farming back in the summer and put it aside for this year when we got so much rain that my hayfield is still boggy.

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Permalink Reply by skipper dunn on November 27, 2009 at 4:05

I "allowed" two different landfarms on my property at 1500 apiece, they disc the land before and after only epa approved mud and water was distributed, the texas railroad commision inspected and they planted a grass of my choosing on the fields. thats six months or more ago and grass is growing well, I've already mowed it. i believe they said it would be two years before they could do it again on that part. the worst damage was from the hogs that enjoyed the fresh ground. skipper d

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