Drilling, environmental concerns

Providing the land surfaoe above a reservoir is relatively flat, it is generally cheaper to drill and maintain a vertical well than to access a reservoir from a location that requires a deviated borehole. In unpopulated areas such as desert or jungle looations It is common to find that the pattern of wellheads at surface closely reflects the pattern In which wells penetrate the reservoir. However, in many eases constraints will be planed on drill site availability as a result of housing, environmental concerns or topography. In such conditions wells may be drilled in clusters from one or a number of sites as elose as possible to the surface location of the reservoir. 

Garcia, D. H. and Henry, E. C., 1989, Environmental Considerations for Real Estate Development of Oil Well Drilling Properties in California In Environmental Concerns in the Petroleum Industry (edited by S. M. Testa), Pacific Section American Association of Petroleum Geologists Symposium Volume, pp. 117-127. 

Keywords Aquifer contamination Confining layer Costs Environmental concerns Receptor zones Site selection Well design Well drilling... 

Much attention has been given in recent years to the environmental aspects of both the drilling operation and the drilling fluid components. Well-deserved concern with the possibility of polluting underground water supplies and of damaging marine organisms, as well as with the more readily observed effects on soil productivity and surface water quality, has stimulated widespread studies on this subject. 

Methylglucosides also could find applications in water-based drilling fluids and have the potential to replace oil-based drilling fluids [801]. The use of such a drilling fluid could reduce the disposal of oil-contaminated drilling cuttings, minimize health and safety concerns, and minimize environmental effects. 

Beyond contaminated tapwater, other issues of concern are related to environmental contamination of water, air, and the land. With regard to tapwater and other water contamination events related to shale natural gas extraction, the primary concerns are threefold (1) contamination of surface water due to erosion and groundcover removal during drilling site extraction (2) proper management of separate but multiple users in a single watershed to protect water quality and ensure adequate water resources to meet the needs of the watershed stakeholders and (3) treatment and safe disposal of the water produced. 

It is unlikely that these extracts could be used in detergency, personal care products, dishwashing or other applications where there could be health concerns. However, there are numerous applications where human contact is less likely, such as car washing solutions, window washing solutions, pesticides and other agricultural applications, environmental remediation (soil washing), drilling fluids and others. 

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