Page 166 - Environmental Control in Petroleum Engineering

Planning for Environmental Protection 153

Improved Operations

Another important method for minimizing the amount of potentially
toxic wastes generated is to change the operating procedures at the
various sites. Many changes can be made to improve operations at a
relatively low cost, particularly if planned in advance.
New sites can be constructed to minimize environmental risks.
Access roads can be sited to minimize any disruption. Sites should
be kept as small as possible and should be designed so that natural
drainage features will divert rainwater around the site, in particular,
away from the rig and reserves pits. The soil type should be evaluated
to determine if it is suitable for constructing site facilities such as
buildings, drill pads, ponds, levees, or production tanks. Dikes and
catchment basins should be constructed around all storage tanks and
loading areas to contain any leaks and spills. If a site is suspected of
being contaminated by any previous activity, a detailed site assessment
should be conducted to characterize any contamination before any new
activity commences.
All operations should be carefully planned in advance to minimize
the use of materials. Materials storage, handling, and transportation
procedures should be reviewed to minimize losses. Only the required
amount of chemicals and equipment should be available at the site,
A very important step in improving operations is to keep different
types of wastes segregated. Waste streams should never be mixed,
Because the toxicities and regulations vary for different wastes,
keeping the waste streams segregated allows the best disposal options
to be selected for each waste. This minimizes the volume of toxic
wastes that must be handled under the most stringent and expensive
regulations. For example, hazardous and nonhazardous wastes should
never be mixed. Municipal or commercial wastes should be kept
separate from other site wastes. Soil contaminated with hazardous and/
or commercial wastes should be kept separate from soil contaminated
with other wastes. Sites should be designed to keep unwanted materials
from entering the fluid system and reserves pit during drilling. This
unwanted material includes rig wash, pump lubrication water, drill pipe
handling, and stormwater runoff. Levees or ditches can be used around
a site to divert stormwater or contain any spills.
Good housekeeping practices must be observed at all sites. Trash
containers should be provided at drill sites and production facilities