Hydrochloric acid spill: Up to 20,000 gallons used in fracing spilled in incident southwest of Hennessey, Oklahoma

Hydrochloric acid spill: Up to 20,000 gallons spilled in incident southwest of Hennessey by Phyllis Zorn, July 31, 2014, Enid News and Eagle
Between 350 and 500 barrels — up to 20,000 gallons — of acid spilled Monday about four miles south and two miles west of the intersection of U.S. 81 and Oklahoma 51 in Hennessey. Matt Skinner, spokesman for Oklahoma Corporation Commission, said the incident may be the biggest fracking-related acid spill to date in Oklahoma. OCC is overseeing cleanup operations, he said. “I’ve asked around and no one can remember a bigger one,” Skinner said.

The spill happened at the site of an oil well being drilled by Oklahoma City-based Blake Production Co. Company owner Blake Vernon said workers arrived on site Monday and discovered a tank had emptied out the acid used in fracking jobs.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Vernon said. “When we found out it had leaked, we immediately spread soda ash on it. It’s a chemical that counteracts the acid.”

The drilling company notified OCC and Environmental Protection Agency, Vernon said. Vernon said the leaking acid tank was rented from Woodward-based Kwick Rentals.

Tim Lauderdale, chief financial officer for Kwick Rentals, denied that claim. “I can tell you that we are an equipment rental company, and we were aware of the acid spill,” Lauderdale said. “What I can tell you about the piece of equipment is that we do not own that acid tank. We are not going to say who owns that acid tank, but that it’s a piece of equipment that Kwick Rentals does not own.”

Enid-based Trinity Services and Consulting was called to help with the environmental cleanup, Vernon said.

“Trinity Services & Consulting has been contracted by Blake Production to handle the environmental corrective action related to the HCL acid release,” management of Trinity Services and Consulting said in an email. “We are working with Blake Production to develop a scope of work, we are currently deploying equipment, finalizing a site-specific safety plan and communicating with OCC representatives to coordinate efforts. Any further questions or comments should be directed to Blake Vernon, spokesman for Blake Production Co.”

Berms were set up Tuesday to make sure rain did not carry any acid into nearby Turkey Creek. Vernon said accumulated water was pumped into a storage tank for disposal.

The next step is to remove contaminated soil, Skinner said.

Curtis Turner, Hennessey’s director of public works, said he was not aware of immediate threat to the city water supply. “There may be some later, but I will monitor,” Turner said. “We do testing anyway a couple times a day.” The city has a water treatment plant about three miles east and slightly south of the spill, Turner said. “The only way it would affect everyone is if it gets into the aquifer,” he said. Cimarron Terrace Aquifer is about 27 feet below the acid spill, Turner said.

Kingfisher attorney Matt Oppel, who represents property owners Jason and Christi Hawk, said the Hawks are “very concerned” about the acid spill. “While the property is currently used for agricultural purposes, the Hawks hoped to build a home on their Turkey Creek property,” Oppel said. “Unfortunately, the spill will not only affect the Hawks’ immediate use and enjoyment but future development may be impossible.”

Oppel said the couple is concerned about potential damage to water supply and wildlife as well. [Emphasis added]

Major oil field spill in Kingfisher County, Concern acidic runoff could reach nearby creek, town water system by koco.com, July 30, 2014
The cause of a major oil field spill just outside the town of Hennessey in Kingfisher County is now under investigation. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission reports it may be the biggest spill from fracking they’ve ever handled. Now there are concerns about tainting the town’s water supply. Nearly 500 barrels of acid spilled in an alfalfa field Monday morning. The chemical HCL is used for fracking operations. There’s concern heavy rain will push the runoff into nearby Turkey Creek, which flows into Hennessey’s water system.

The Corporation Commission is overseeing the cleanup of the acid spill just south of town. Their top priority is keeping the powerful chemical from getting into the water.

“That is why we have the berms set up,” said Matt Skinner of the Corporation Commission. There’s a lot of liquid to contain after more than 20,000 gallons spilled. That’s nearly enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

“It is our understanding that the acid spill, consisting of approximately 19,000 gallons, occurred while Blake Production was completing the well. At this point, Blake has suggested a soil remediation company, but the company has not contacted my clients or my office, nor has Blake even approached the Hawks concerning the damages to their property. The Hawks hope Blake will remedy the situation, but their dealings with Blake in the past have not left them optimistic.” [Emphasis added]

[Refer also to:

Fracking’s More Dangerous Bedfellow: Acidizing; Halliburton Introduces Technology to Control Fracture Face Damage and Help Improve Production from Unconventional Reservoirs

Fracking with Acid: Unknown Quantities Injected

Halliburton fined $1.8 million over illegal hydrochloric acid shipping and disposal

Oil and Gas industry officials decry proposed Los Angeles fracking, acidizing and wastewater injection well ban

Los Angeles City Council Passes LA ‘Fracking’ (including acidizing) Ban in 10 – 0 vote!

Florida Department Environmental Protection fines Dan A. Hughes Company $25,000 for fracing without permission; Company says it didn’t frac, it stimulated (where have we heard that before?)

Florida: Collier County Goes To Court Over ‘Acid Fracking’ Near Everglades, charges that state regulators lax in oversight, jeopardizing public health and environment

People flee as chemical cloud hovers near New Columbia

Amanda Friend and her family were forced from their home late Thursday after a toxic acid-spewing Halliburton truck hauling 4,000 gallons of hydrochloric acid pulled into a neighboring convenience store. “There was a huge plume in the air and it was just getting bigger and bigger,” Friend said….

… State Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Kevin Sunday said an estimated 250 gallons leaked out and soil tests are being done to determine if there was any contamination. “It’s an acid and it could be very damaging to humans and the environment,”

Halliburton Introduces Technology to Control Fracture Face Damage and Help Improve Production from Unconventional Reservoirs Press Release by Halliburton, September 25, 2006
Halliburton’s (NYSE:HAL) Production Optimization Division has added a breakthrough technology to its suite of stimulation products, GasPerm 1000(SM) service. GasPerm 1000 service helps improve production from unconventional reservoirs including tight gas, shales and coalbed methane. Based on a newly developed microemulsion surfactant, the service helps remove water drawn into the formation during the fracturing process. Removing the water can improve permeability to gas at the fracture face and help increase gas production. In addition, GasPerm 1000 service represents a safety and environmental advancement, replacing methanol in many applications. “Halliburton has focused our top researchers on developing technology to help operators achieve better results from unconventional reservoirs and GasPerm 1000 service is the initial result of this research,” said Jim Prestidge, vice president within the Production Optimization Division. ”The characteristics of unconventional reservoirs pose unique challenges, particularly in the area of controlling fracture face damage. GasPerm 1000 service technology was developed to help achieve maximum production following a fracturing treatment and with the focus on environmental sustainability, our constant guiding principle as we develop new chemicals.” …

In Canada, coalbed methane production is growing extremely fast.Production from gas shales, such as the Barnett formation, has shown exponential growth in the past five years. Fracturing will continue to play a major role incoaxing production from these reservoirs.

In the fracturing process, water can be drawn (imbibed) into the
formation from the fluid used to create the fracture. The water drawn
into the pore spaces is held there by capillary pressure and surface
tension and can block gases from flowing into the wellbore. Commonly
called “water block,” this process is especially pronounced in
unconventional gas reservoirs where the lower permeability results in increased capillary pressure. GasPerm 1000 service has been shown to enable the imbibed liquids to be expelled from the rock matrix and fracture system, thereby enabling improved gas production.

From both an environmental and safety perspective, GasPerm 1000(tm) additive can be used in place of methanol. When run as an additive at field use concentration, the GasPerm 1000 additive reduces flammability risk as compared to methanol at concentrations typically used for water block treatment applications. A comparison test performed in an ultra-low perm tight gas sand formation from the Rockies demonstrated that under comparable conditions, the formulation containing GasPerm 1000 additive outperformed a conventional methanol-based formulation. GasPerm 1000 additive is compatible with both acidic and basic fluid systems and is used as an acidizing additive or fracturing fluid additive. [Emphasis added]

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