Water Quality of the Quaternary and Ada

79 Pages·2005·1.71 MB·English

Prepared in cooperation with theOsage Tribal Council, U.S. Depart-
ment of Energy, and Bureau of Indian Affairs
Water Quality of the Quaternary and Ada-
Vamoosa Aquifers on the Osage Reservation,
Osage County, Oklahoma, 1997
Water-Resources Investigations Report 99–4231
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
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Printed on recycled paper
Water Quality of the Quaternary and Ada-
Vamoosa Aquifers on the Osage
Reservation, Osage County, Oklahoma, 1997
By Marvin M. Abbott
Prepared in cooperation with the Osage Tribal Council, U.S. Department of Energy, and Bureau of Indian Affairs
Water-Resources Investigations Report 99–4231
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior
Bruce Babbitt, Secretary
U.S. Geological Survey
Charles G. Groat, Director
U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2000
For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services
Box 25286, Denver Federal Center
Denver, CO 80225
District Chief
U.S. Geological Survey
202 NW 66 St., Bldg. 7
Oklahoma City, OK 73116
For more information about the USGS and its products:
Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS
World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/
Information about water resources in Oklahoma is available on the World Wide Web at
http://ok.water.usgs.gov
Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply
endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Although this report is in the public domain, it contains copyrighted materials that are noted in the text.
Permission to reproduce those items must be secured from the individual copyright owners.
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: OKLAHOMA CITY 2000
iii
Contents
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Purpose and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Description of the study area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Description of hydrogeologic units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Quaternary Aquifers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Pennsylvanian Age Sandstone Aquifers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Sampling Network Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Sampling biases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Sampling Procedure and Constituent Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Water Quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Quality-Assurance Sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Hypothesis Testing and Descriptive Statistics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Comparison of Ground-Water Quality From Quaternary and Ada-Vamoosa Aquifers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Comparison of Ground-Water Quality From Freshwater Aquifer Wells Near Oil Wells to
Freshwater Aquifer Wells Not Near Oil Wells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Major Ion Chemistry Distribution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Summary and Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
References Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Appendices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
1. Chemical analyses of quality-assurance samples from wells in the Osage Reservation, Oklahoma.38
2. Relative percent difference between water-quality and duplicate samples collected from wells in the
Osage Reservation, Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
3. Ground-water well information in the Osage Reservation, Oklahoma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
4. Chemical analyses of ground-water samples from wells in the Osage Reservation, Oklahoma . . . . .47
Figures
Figures 1-2. Maps showing:
1. Location of study area and map of Quaternary and Pennsylvania aquifers in the Osage Reserva-
tion, Osage County, Oklahoma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
2. Oil well locations in the Osage Reservation, Osage County, Oklahoma. 5
Figures 3-4 Stratigraphic columns showing:
3.Subsurface-geologicandmajortime-stratigraphicunitsintheOsageReservation,
Oklahoma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
4. Surficial-geologic and major-time stratigraphic units in the Osage Reservation, Oklahoma. 9
Figures 5-6 Maps showing:
5. Water-quality well locations sampled in the Osage Reservation, Oklahoma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
6.Rural-waterdistrictsintheOsageReservation,Oklahoma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Figures 7-18 Box plots showing:
iv
7.Comparisonofground-waterqualityfromQuaternaryandAda-Vamoosaaquifers,
for dissolved solids, total.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
8.Comparisonofground-waterqualityfromQuaternaryandAda-Vamoosaaquifers,forpH. . . . .24
9.Comparisonofground-waterqualityfromQuaternaryandAda-Vamoosaaquifers,alkalinity,
total field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
10.Comparisonofground-waterqualityfromQuaternaryandAda-Vamoosaaquifers,forcalcium,
dissolved.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
11.Comparisonofground-waterqualityfromQuaternaryandAda-Vamoosaaquifers,fornitrogen,
nitrite plus nitrate, dissolved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
12.Comparisonofground-waterqualityfromQuaternaryandAda-Vamoosaaquifers,forsodium,
dissolved.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
13.Comparisonofground-waterqualityfromQuaternaryandAda-Vamoosaaquifers,forsulfate,
dissolved.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
14.Comparisonofground-waterqualityfromQuaternaryandAda-Vamoosaaquifers,forchloride,
dissolved.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
15.Comparisonofground-waterqualityfromaquifersnearoilwellsandnotnearoilwellsinthe
Osage Reservation, Oklahoma, for dissolved solids, total.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
16.Comparisonofground-waterqualityfromaquifersnearoilwellsandnotnearoilwellsinthe
Osage Reservation, Oklahoma, for sodium, dissolved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
17.Comparisonofground-waterqualityfromaquifersnearoilwellsandnotnearoilwellsinthe
Osage Reservation, Oklahoma, for sulfate, dissolved.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
18.Comparisonofground-waterqualityfromaquifersnearoilwellsandnotnearoilwellsinthe
Osage Reservation, Oklahoma, for chloride, dissolved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Figures19-20.Mapsshowing:
19.Water-qualitydiagramsforsamplescollectedfromtheQuaternaryaquifer,intheOsage
Reservation, Oklahoma.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
20.Water-qualitydiagramsforsamplescollectedfromthePennsylvanianaquiferintheOsage
Reservation, Oklahoma.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Tables
1. Listing of analytical methods used at the U.S. Geological Survey, Quality of Water Service Unit
laboratory in Ocala, Florida. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
2.ResultsoftheMann-Whitneytests,r-values,comparingtheconcentrationsofconstituents
from water-quality samples collected in the Osage Reservation, Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
3.Summarystatisticsforfieldwater-qualitymeasurementsanddissolvedchemicalconstituents
for samples from wells completed in the Quaternary aquifer in the Osage Reservation,
Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
4.Summarystatisticsforfieldwater-qualitymeasurementsanddissolvedchemicalconstituents
for samples from wells completed in the Ada-Vamoosa aquifer in the Osage Reservation,
Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
5.Summarystatisticsforfieldwater-qualitymeasurementsanddissolvedchemicalconstituents
for samples from wells completed in the Quaternary aquifer not near oil wells in the Osage
Reservation, Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
6.Summarystatisticsforfieldwater-qualitymeasurementsanddissolvedchemicalconstituents
forsamplesfromwellscompletedintheQuaternaryaquifernearoilwellsintheOsageReservation,
Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
v
7.Summarystatisticsforfieldwater-qualitymeasurementsanddissolvedchemicalconstituents
for samples from wells completed in the Ada-Vamoosa aquifer not near oil wells in the Osage
Reservation, Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
8.Summarystatisticsforfieldwater-qualitymeasurementsanddissolvedchemicalconstituentsforsam-
ples from wells completed in the Ada-Vamoosa aquifer near oil wells in the Osage Reservation,
Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
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Conversion Factors and Datum
Multiply By To obtain
Length
inch (in.) 2.54 centimeter (cm)
foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)
mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)
Area
square foot (ft2) 929.0 square centimeter (cm2)
square foot (ft2) 0.09290 square meter (m2)
square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer (km2)
Volume
barrel (bbl), (petroleum, 1 barrel = 42
gal) 0.1590 cubic meter (m3)
gallon (gal) 3.785 liter (L)
Flow rate
foot per day (ft/d) 0.3048 meter per day (m/d)
Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as follows:
°F = (1.8×°C) + 32
Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (°F) may be converted to degrees Celsius (°C) as follows:
°C = (°F - 32) / 1.8
Sealevel:Inthisreport“sealevel”referstotheNationalGeodeticVerticalDatumof1929(NGVD
of 1929)— a geodetic datum derived from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of
both the United States and Canada, formerly called Sea Level Datum of 1929.
Specific conductance is given in microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (μS/cm at
25˚C).
Concentrationsofchemicalconstituentsinwateraregiveneitherinmilligramsperliter(mg/L)or
micrograms per liter (μg/L).
vii
Explanation of the Site-numbering System
The locations of the sample-collection sites are identified by a site-id number and a local
identifiernumber.Thesite-idnumberiscomposedofthelatitudeandlongitudeofthelocationto
the nearest second plus a sequence number. The location of the dot in the figure is latitude
36°41’40” and longitude 96°21’59”. A sequence number is added to make the local identifier
unique in the U.S. Geological Survey data base. If the sequence number is 1, the complete site-
idnumberis364140096215901.Thelocalidentifiernumberincludesthetownshipandrangefol-
lowed by the section and a series of letters that designate the quarter-section subdivisions, from
thelargesttothesmallest.Theorderofthequarter-sectionsubdivisionsdiffersfromthatusedby
theU.S.BureauofLandManagementandthepubliclandsurvey.Asillustratedinthefigure,the
publiclandsurveydescriptionofthesiteindicatedbythedotasNW1/4NW1/4NW1/4sec.32,
T.26N.,R.09E.,isdenotedbythelocalidentifiernumber26N–09E–32BBB.Ifthesequence
number is 1, the complete identifier number is 26N–09E–32 BBB 1.
26N-09E-32 BBB 1
B A
B A
C D
B A
D
C
32
T. 26 N.
C D
R. 09 E.
Water Quality of the Quaternary and Ada-Vamoosa
Aquifers on the Osage Reservation, Osage County,
Oklahoma, 1997
By Marvin M. Abbott
Abstract ofthesamplesnearoilwellshaddissolvedsolidslessthan500
milligrams per liter.
Areas in the Ada-Vamoosa aquifer near Hominy, Persh-
The project was to provide information on the quality of
ing,andHulaLakehavedissolved-solidsconcentrationsgreater
groundwaterfromrural-domestic-waterwellswithintheOsage
than the secondary drinking water regulations. Water-quality
Reservation and compare the water-quality to proximity to oil
samples from the Quaternary aquifer in these areas also have
wells.About38,500oilwellshavebeendrilledintheReserva-
dissolved-solidsconcentrationsgreaterthan500milligramsper
tion since drilling began in 1896. About 1,480 square miles or
liter.
64 percent of the Reservation is within a quarter mile of an oil
well.TheunconfinedQuaternarysandaquifercoversabout315
squaremilesorabout14percentoftheReservationandthecon-
Introduction
finedAda-Vamoosasandstoneaquifercoversabout800square
milesorabout35percentoftheReservation.Fifty-eightpercent
oftheQuaternaryaquiferand69percentoftheoutcropareaof In response to concerns about the effects that oil produc-
the Ada-Vamoosa aquifer are within a quarter mile of an oil tion might have on water quality and to obtain information
well. neededtoplanandmanagetheincreasingdemandsforwateron
One hundred twenty domestic ground-water wells were the Osage Reservation, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooper-
sampled from the Quaternary and Ada-Vamoosa aquifers. ationwiththeOsageTribeconductedastudyofthewaterqual-
Forty-nine percent of the Reservation is underlain by the aqui- ity in the Quaternary and Ada-Vamoosa aquifers in the Osage
fers.Ground-waterqualityisgoodonmostoftheReservation, Reservation, northeastern Oklahoma (fig. 1). The project
but the use of domestic-water-supply wells tend to minimize included documenting information for rural-domestic-water
water-qualityproblems.Existingwater-supplywellscommonly wells, collecting 120 water-quality samples from those wells,
are located in areas that produce usable volumes of potable and comparing the water-quality to proximity to oil wells.
water. Locating and sampling the wells was conducted from Septem-
Several constituents in samples from the Ada-Vamoosa- ber to December 1997.
aquifer within a quarter mile of an oil well were significantly About 38,500 oil wells have been drilled in the Reserva-
greaterthanfromtheaquifernotnearoilwells.Theconstituents tion since drilling began in 1896 (fig. 2). Location of oil wells
includespecificconductance,dissolvedsolids,sodium,sulfate, intheReservationwasfromtheNaturalResourcesInformation
chloride, bromide, and silica. These ions are probably derived System data base (Geo Information Systems, 1999). About
from brine water. In the Ada-Vamoosa aquifer subgroups, 57 17,600 oil wells were drilled before 1940 (Bass and others,
percentofthesamplesnearoilwellsand24percentofthesam- 1942)and3,200oftheseweredryandabandoned.In1988only
ples not near oil wells had dissolved-solids concentrations about12,680oilwellswereactivelyoperatedand4,200ofthese
greater than 500 milligrams per liter. wereclassifiedaspressuremaintenance,salt-waterdisposal,or
The water quality in the Quaternary and Ada-Vamoosa water-flood injection wells. The remaining oil wells (about
aquifersissimilarinareaswherenooilwellshavebeendrilled 26,000) are temporarily or permanently plugged and aban-
but is significantly different for several constituents. Median doned. About 1,480 square miles or 64 percent of the Reserva-
concentrations of major constituents from the Ada-Vamoosa tioniswithinaquartermileofanoilwell.Peakannualproduc-
aquifernotnearoilwellswerelessthanorequaltovaluesfrom tion on the Reservation was more than 40,000,000 barrels in
theQuaternaryaquifer.Sixty-fourpercentofthewater-quality 1922(Bassandothers,1942).Theterm“oilwell”isanindustry
samples from the Quaternary and 51 percent from the Ada- well drilled through the freshwater aquifers to oil and gas pro-
Vamoosa aquifers have dissolved-solids concentrations less ductiondepths;includingoilandgasproducers,nonproducing
than the secondary drinking water regulations of 500 milli- wells,injectionwells,salt-waterdisposalwells,pluggedwells,
gramsperliter.Fifty-ninepercentoftheaquifersamplesinthe and abandoned wells.
Quaternaryaquifersubgroupsnotnearoilwellsand70percent Many subsurface formations listed in figure 3 have been
oil-producing strata in the Reservation. Oil production is shal-