Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)
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Brine Contamination to Prairie Potholes from Energy Development in the Williston Basin
Background: In the United States, the Williston Basin occupies 143,000 square miles and includes portions of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Superimposed over this landscape is the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) which includes critical wetland and grassland habitats of importance to breeding, nesting, and migrating waterfowl, and wetland and grassland birds. A potential impact of oil field activities on these important habitats is brine contamination from co-produced waters that leach from oil well reserve pits, injection wells, and transport lines. Previous studies have identified contamination of wetlands and groundwater resources, including drinking water aquifers, located on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), tribal, and public lands; and, numerous groups have expressed concern over the potential risk of contamination. Currently, the extent of such contamination across the Williston Basin is unknown, and there is a need for scientific-based information to assess this threat.
Objective: The USGS has placed a focused effort on providing a comprehensive understanding of the Nation’s energy and mineral resources and the environmental effects of their use. In response to this, a collaborative effort between scientists from Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Montana Water Science Center, and the Crustal Imaging and Characterization Team initiated work to gather spatial datasets to identify areas most at risk to contamination, assess the spatial extent of past and current oil well development, and gage the potential impacts on aquatic resources in the Williston Basin.
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Currently, the team has identified thousands of permitted oils wells in northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota. Wetlands and oil wells are often in proximity to each other throughout the area where the Williston Basin overlaps the PPR, and preliminary analysis in a representative drainage area in Montana indicated that there were 80 wetlands that have oil wells within 50 meters of their edge. Additionally, the team has worked with county, state, and federal agencies to identify agency needs related to specific research objectives. These include:
1. Evaluate the spatial extent and potential risk to natural resources of past and ongoing energy development in the Williston Basin using Geographic Information System (GIS) analyses 2. Reassess brine contamination movement in pilot areas 3. Conduct a user needs analysis and design a prototype decision support system 4. Establish an Interagency Energy Contamination Science Team |
Scope: Field work (Objective 2) will primarily focus on previously studied sites within the PPR and Williston Basin portions of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. However, spatial analyses (Objective 1) will include an assessment of all critical habitats within the entire Williston Basin. Likewise, efforts to develop decision support tools (Objective 3) and to establish an Interagency Contamination Science Team (Objective 4) will bring together a spectrum of stakeholders with an interest in environmental risks associated with oil production in the Williston Basin.
Methods: By studying sites previously examined by the USFWS, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG), the Sheridan County (MT) Conservation District, and the USGS, the team will be able to estimate the extent of oil brine contamination. This will include the collection of new data as part of this study, use of existing data made available from cooperators, and application of proven scientific methodologies and extending their use to suit project needs. The team will also evaluate the needs of those that will use the data to develop appropriate and useful decision support system tools that help them assess the risk from energy development to the natural resources with which they are entrusted, especially wetlands that are part of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
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