From the Beetaloo to West Texas: similarities, differences and lessons learned from water management in coal seam and shale field developments on either side of the Pacific

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 827
Author(s):  
Brian D. Webster ◽  
Holly Churman ◽  
Chris Benjamin ◽  
Julian Long ◽  
Brett M. Goebel
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Coal Seam ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Field Development ◽  
West Texas ◽  
Elevated Salinity ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Water management presents a host of challenges and opportunities for operators developing unconventional onshore gas fields. Water supply, recycling and disposal issues affect each stage of field development and operation. Sourcing water and production of produced and flow back water has important implications for water availability and management of the unique environmental risks. All water source and produced water decisions come with costs. From the treatment and reuse of coal seam gas (CSG) produced water, through to the storage and ultimate disposal of water containing elevated salinity and organic loads in shale fields, the costs for water management fundamentally contribute to the economics of unconventional gas developments. In this paper, we will draw on experience in both CSG and shale field water management to compare the respective water management challenges and opportunities faced by operators in these industries. A series of case studies will be used to highlight the differences between the CSG and shale fields. This will include assessment of a West Texas shale field development, where field specific data, such as well-to-well distance and travel time between them, has been used to identify and compare produced water management options. We will use these indicators to demonstrate how alternative ways to assess produced water options, based on economics, can reveal creative management strategies that achieve a variety of goals at every stage of field development, including maximising reuse and minimising disposal.

Zooming into the water users: A multi-scale, interactive participatory approach to co-develop Water Management Plans in Bolivian River Basins

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nilo Lima ◽  
Hector Angarita ◽  
Marisa Escobar-Arias ◽  
Wilford Rincon ◽  
Sergio Nuñez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
National Policy ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Water Users

<p>In Bolivia, since 2006 the Ministry of Environment and Water, through the National Watershed Plan, has developed the conceptual framework and national policy for Watershed Management. At present, this national policy is still in the process of learning and construction from its application in various river basins, principally through the development of Watershed Master Plans.</p><p>Three principles guide the development of this national planning effort: i. the recognition of the growing dependence on participatory processes as a forum to identify and enable legitimate water management and governance options, ii. the need to plan for an uncertain future caused by climate change and other societal prerogatives iii. the systemic analysis of the territory incorporating biophysical, sectoral and regional interactions.</p><p>Here we present results and lessons learned of this process in the formulation of the Master Plan of the Río Rocha Basin (PDCR); With a population of ~ 1,500,000 people (13% of Bolivia’s population), the basin has high levels of water scarcity that feed an intricate network of conflicts related to access, governance, and environmental degradation. The PDCR is a planning opportunity to enable the necessary conditions to resolve current conflicts and set the foundation of sustainable water management.</p><p>Robust decision support (RDS) has been adopted as a guiding framework, constructing a participatory process that considers uncertainties and strategies within an array of management options for the system. To accommodate the large disparities in water access across interests represented at different regions and scales of the Rio Rocha Basin, we implemented two innovations in the RDS process: first, a set of 24 quantitative indices that can operate at several nested scales of planning sub-units (i.e. from independent irrigation units or household water supply service areas, to the entire river basin), and second the use of an interactive “hard-coupled” decision dashboard to the Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP). In combination, this innovations enabled a diverse audience of actors to: i) explore the positive and negative interactions of water management, production systems, hazards and risks management, and ecosystem functions ii) identify disparities in the performance of a proposed plan between scales and ii) analyze and compare different management strategies interactively to improve outcomes and identify and mitigate emerging regional or sectorial conflicts.</p><p>As a result, the PDCR established a set of regional and intersectoral actions for 2025 and 2040, which integrate infrastructure, efficiency, pollution control, and territorial and productive planning actions, accompanied by institutional strengthening and capacity development measures. The plan expects to increase access and coverage of the demand for safe water, improve irrigation access, enable long term sustainable exploitation of groundwater and establish synergies with the existing sanitation plan to achieve additional improvements in the environmental quality of the Rio Rocha.</p>

Beneficial use of associated water in the Queensland coal seam gas industry

2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 686
Author(s):  
Cristian Purtill
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Coal Seam ◽  
Single Mode ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Beneficial Use ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Water Management Strategy

The Queensland Government has developed an associated water management policy that, among other things, strives to maximise the beneficial use of associated water derived from Queensland’s burgeoning coal seam gas industry. The Department of Infrastructure and Planning reports that domestic gas production alone (i.e. without an export LNG market) will produce on average 25 GL per annum in the next 25 years. Most of this water has sufficiently high total dissolved solids and other water quality issues to require some form of treatment prior to use. Clearly, the relatively large volumes of water present both challenges and opportunities to the communities in which the CSG industry is developing. In line with the philosophy of beneficial use of associated water, Santos has developed a portfolio of options within its associated water management strategy and plans for its Arcadia Valley, Fairview and Roma tenements. The strategy seeks to: provide enduring value for the community; maximise benefits while minimising the environmental footprint; provide a range of alternatives to avoid single-mode failure; use scalable options in response to uncertainty; deploy demonstrated technologies; and, meet and exceed all regulatory requirements. This paper will set some context around the broader CSG industry’s associated water challenges, and identify what parameters must be considered in arriving at beneficial uses for the water. The paper then explores some of Santos’ approaches to associated water management.

Evaluation of surface and groundwater management strategies for drained sulfidic soil using numerical simulation models

Soil Research ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 569 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Blunden ◽  
B. Indraratna
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Pyrite Oxidation ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Acid Sulfate Soils ◽  
Drain Water ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Acid Sulfate ◽  
Sulfate Soils

The effective management of acid sulfate soils is a major issue for many coastal regions in Australia. Simulations were conducted to evaluate 4 different water management strategies that could be applied to agricultural land on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, to minimise acid generation from acid sulfate soils. The water management strategies are compared with the existing extensively drained situation which generates and discharges large quantities of acidic pyrite oxidation products. The 4 water management strategies include elevated drain water levels using a weir, 25 mm irrigation on a 7- or 14-day cycle, and elevated drain water levels with irrigation. All of these strategies were designed to minimise the generation of acid by reducing the transport of oxygen to the sulfidic soil. Simulations were conducted for weather and site conditions experienced during a 12-month period starting in July 1997. Model simulations showed that maintenance of elevated drain water levels using a weir in the drain significantly reduced the amount of acid generated by 75% and 57%, at 10 and 90 m distance from the drain, respectively, by comparison with the existing drained state. The addition of 25 mm irrigation on a 14-day cycle to the weir simulation reduced the oxidation of pyrite by a further 1–2%. Application of irrigation only on a 7-day cycle also reduced the acid generated by 89% and 94% at 10 and 90 m distance from the drain, respectively, by comparison with the existing drained state. Irrigation on a 14-day cycle was not as successful in reducing pyrite oxidation as either the 7-day irrigation or weir strategies. Evaluation of the 4 water management options showed that significant improvements can be made with respect to the amount of acid generated by relatively simple and cost-effective land management practices.

The role of water management in unlocking unconventional resources

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 481
Author(s):  
Gary Crisp ◽  
John Walsh ◽  
Mark Shaw ◽  
Chris Hertle
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Water Source ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Technology Selection ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Field Development ◽  
Unconventional Resources ◽  
Unconventional Resource

Water management for unconventional resources is a complex, multidisciplinary subject that cannot be overlooked. Traditional oilfield development strategies view water as an afterthought that must be dealt with once the field matures and water cut begins to escalate. When this strategy is employed for shale gas developments, water usage is higher than necessary, trucking costs become high, and site remediation becomes time consuming and costly. For shale gas developments, the high-volume and high-quality requirements of water during the lifecycle of field development are a game changer. Water management for unconventional resources requires logistics planning, engagement of field services providers, and technology selection. Each of these issues need to be addressed in the early planning stages and must be tailored for the location and water types involved. This extended abstract takes a holistic view of water management for unconventional resource development across Australia. Management strategies are compared and contrasted for the different unconventional resource types, across different locations, considering all of the factors mentioned above, together with an understanding of regulatory differences, water source options, disposal options, and the different types of water involved. These factors are compared (in the context of North American developments) for CSG in Queensland, tight gas, and unconventional shale gas developments in the Cooper Basin and WA. As these different resources are developed, it is important to understand why the water management strategies are, and must be, different (as discussed in this extended abstract).

scholarly journals Mainstreaming sustainability science to enhance the impacts of “Tridharma” in higher education institution: IPB lessons learned and future direction

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 06005
Author(s):  
Arif Satria ◽  
Aceng Hidayat
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Effective Solution ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Green Development ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Services Innovation ◽  
Future Direction

The adoption of transdisciplinary approaches to address complexity and uncertainty of the problems has been recommended to formulate the effective solution. Although scientists have been working towards the direction, there have been still little integration on policy and concerted implementation to deal particularly with cross-cutting issues on food security, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and other green development issues. Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) has recently adopted the concept of transdisciplinary and sustainability sciences to better integrate and utilize available resources and management strategies as stated in IPB’s Long-term Plan and in recent policy to establish Center for Transdisciplinary and Sustainability Sciences (IPB-CTSS). The drivers for this policy are actually the already established research, academic and community service consortia in which students, scientists, practitioners and policy makers have been working interdisciplinary towards effective solution for achieving better impacts of IPB Tridharma activities. We will discuss the lessons learned, challenges and opportunities identified as solid foundation to implement the concept for enhancing the better impacts of universities extended obligatory tasks on education, research, community services, innovation and business.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document