3 billion gallons of oil industry wastewater has been injectedillegally into California Aquifers

From the Center for Biological Diversity comes some troubling news:

Almost 3 billion gallons of oil industry wastewater have been illegally dumped into central Californiaaquifers that supply drinking water and farming irrigation, according to state documents obtainedby the Center for Biological Diversity. The wastewater entered the aquifers through at least nineinjection disposal wells used by the oil industry to dispose of waste contaminated with fracking fluidsand other pollutants.

High levels of arsenic, thallium and nitrates were also found in water-supply wells around waste-disposal locations. These, of course, have yet to be tested to find out the true nature of theirrelationship to the waste-management facilities nearby.

The state's Water Board confirmed beyond doubt that at least nine wastewater disposal wells havebeen injecting waste into aquifers that contain high-quality water that is supposed to be protectedunder federal and state law.

Thallium is an extremely toxic chemical commonly used in rat poison. Arsenic is a toxic chemicalthat can cause cancer. Some studies show that even low-level exposure to arsenic in drinking watercan compromise the immune system's ability to fight illness.

"Arsenic and thallium are extremely dangerous chemicals," said Timothy Krantz, a professor ofenvironmental studies at the University of Redlands. "The fact that high concentrations are showingup in multiple water wells close to wastewater injection sites raises major concerns about the healthand safety of nearby residents."

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The findings are a cause for serious anxiety. Expect that there are several. Most installed pumpshttp://bakerwatertreatmentplant.com/ were not originally specified for their present use. Frequently,a line in a plant is moved and a pump that once providedcooling water to an injection moldingmachine is now needed to move oil from a rail car to a tank. Sadly, this leads to a substantial numberof problems for the pump and the plant. Pumps operate where the pump curve Flygt basic repair kitscrosses the system curve. When you move a pump from one system to another, this means that thesystem curve is different. This new system may cause the pump to operate away from its bestefficiency point, leading to vibration and other component problems that are merely symptoms of amis-matched pump and system.basic upgrades that can be added to a standard

centrifugal or positive displacement pump. For pumps containing overhung impellers, moving to asolid shaft is a desirable upgrade in relation to common sleeved shafts. Mechanical seals ought to beupgraded with tungsten carbide faces, and elastomers are able to be changed to Viton. In addition,magnetic bearing protectors are a great improvement in relationship to the lip seals which the vastmajority of water pumps depend on to keep bearing sump oil contamination free.

The extent of the testing that is still needed is even more distressing. This is yet another painful

example of why caution must be exercised when stepping forward into the lucrative frackingindustry.

California State Water Resources Control Board's letter can be found here.

Originally posted to weinenkel on Fri Oct 10, 2014 at 12:28 PM PDT.

Also republished by Central Valley Kossacks and California politics.

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