TY  - JOUR
AU  - Tisherman, R. A.
AU  - Rossi, R. J.
AU  - Shonkoff, S. B. C.
AU  - DiGiulio, D. C.
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Groundwater uranium contamination from produced water disposal to unlined ponds in the San Joaquin Valley
JO  - Science of The Total Environment
SP  - 166937
VL  - 904
KW  - Groundwater
KW  - Oil & gas
KW  - Produced water
KW  - San Joaquin Valley
KW  - Uranium
N2  - In the southern San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California, an agriculturally productive region that relies on groundwater for irrigation and domestic water supply, the infiltration of produced water from oil reservoirs is known to impact groundwater due to percolation from unlined disposal ponds. However, previously documented impacts almost exclusively focus on salinity, while contaminant loadings commonly associated with produced water (e.g., radionuclides) are poorly constrained. For example, the infiltration of bicarbonate-rich produced waters can react with sediment-bound uranium (U), leading to U mobilization and subsequent transport to nearby groundwater. Specifically, produced water infiltration poses a particular concern for SJV groundwater, as valley-fill sediments are well documented to be enriched in geogenic, reduced U. Here, we analyzed monitoring well data from two SJV produced water pond facilities to characterize U mobilization and subsequent groundwater contamination. Groundwater wells installed within 2 km of the facilities contained produced water and elevated levels of uranium. There are \textgreater400 produced water disposal pond facilities in the southern SJV. If our observations occur at even a fraction of these facilities, there is the potential for widespread U contamination in the groundwaters of one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world.
SN  - 0048-9697
UR  - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723055626
N1  - exported from refbase (http://www.uhydro.de/base/show.php?record=159), last updated on Fri, 26 Jan 2024 13:19:04 +0100
ID  - Tisherman_etal2023
ER  -