A model for assessing surface water and soil impacts of oil well spills in Seminole County, Oklahoma

The environmental impacts of oil wells and pipelines are of concern to the oil industry, regulatory agencies, and the public. An evaluation of Oklahoma oil environmental regulations indicates that current evaluation techniques are reactive and address a site in response to a complaint. To administer proactive environmental policies which would predict environmental impacts and address concerns before damage occurs requires the development of environmental impact models which utilize terrain, land cover, hydrology, soils, and well/pipeline design feature data.;To increase understanding of the variables associated with surface environmental impacts of the oil industry, this study develops environmental models which indicate the impact potential of a well and pipeline. Oil activities in Seminole County, Oklahoma provide a case study from which to develop the models. Model definition is based on the literature and professional judgement. Using the Delphi technique, relevant factors which govern the occurrence and severity of impacts are identified, weighted, and scaled through a sequence of questionnaires completed by knowledgeable individuals. Models assessing surface water and soil impacts from oil well spills are the major focus of this study. Models assessing surface water and soil impacts associated with pipeline leaks are developed, but were not implemented due to the unavailability of data.;Model implementation is performed using a geographic information system into which the weighted/scaled measures for each factor are coded. Individual map themes are then combined in an additive fashion to produce a composite map showing a numerical index which relates the impact potential of a well.;Results indicate that the surface water model represents a successful way in which to assess the surface water impact potential of an oil well. Success is evaluated on the basis of a statistical comparison of predicted and observed results. Results further indicate that the soil model could not be evaluated in terms of its success largely because of conflicting model factors and unreliable results from the independent site assessment survey.