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Arctic Energy Technology Development Laboratory 2007 Annual Review. Alaskan North Slope Lakes and Water Use Daniel M. White University of Alaska Fairbanks Michael R. Lilly Geo-Watersheds Scientific January 22, 2007. Water and Environmental Research Center. Project Partners.
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Arctic Energy Technology Development Laboratory 2007 Annual Review Alaskan North Slope Lakes and Water Use Daniel M. White University of Alaska Fairbanks Michael R. Lilly Geo-Watersheds Scientific January 22, 2007 Water and Environmental Research Center
Project Partners • NETL/Arctic Energy Office • UAF Water and Environmental Research Center • BP Exploration • ConocoPhillips Alaska • Geo-Watersheds Scientific • Bureau of Land Management • North Slope Borough • Northern Alaska Environmental Center • The Nature Conservancy • National Weather Service • University of Delaware (Fritz Nelson) • Alaska Department of Natural Resources • Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (new) • Mineral Management Service (new) • International Arctic Research Center (new)
Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Arctic Lakes, and Variations Due To Water Use • Ice roads are the preferred method for providing access to exploration drilling sites (new fields), pipeline O/M and restoration on the North Slope of Alaska. • Infield drilling uses ice roads and pads. Infield drilling and production and facilities are significant long-term water users. • The State limits arctic lakes water use to 15%~30% of under-ice volume and species for fish bearing lakes. • There is little precipitation and little surface-water flow on the Arctic Coastal Plain except during spring snow melt. • We are evaluating annual water use and developing hydrology-based engineering and management tools to improve water-asset understanding and use across the North Slope.
Water Use • Road, Pad Infrastructure • Exploration, Largest User • Road construction speed is highest priority • Operations and Maintenance of pipelines • Short/Long-term use • Facilities • Mud and drilling support operations • Enhanced recovery • Processing facilities • Main camp operations and potable water • Long-term use
Operational Watershed Modeling Tools to Support North Slope Field Transportation Operations • Objectives: • Establish cooperative data-collection network meeting weather and tundra travel objectives • Provide operational modeling tools to improve estimates of available water assets and usage risks • Develop annual and winter water-use models • Develop models and improve process understanding of chemical changes in arctic lakes and reservoirs • Cooperative environment to help improve understanding and permit processes
Alaskan North Slope Lakes and Water Use Annual Project Highlights: • Winter monthly sampling of study lakes and reservoirs • 2006 snowmelt and lake recharge monitoring • February Alaska Forum on the Environment Project Workshop • AWRA summer meeting on Adaptive Management of Water Resources in Missoula, Montana, June 26-28
Alaskan North Slope Lakes and Water Use Annual Project Highlights: • Project coordinating meetings with Canadian study group working on similar water use issues in Mackenzie River Delta region • Fall AAAS Meeting poster presentation • (2) 2006 Fall AGU Meeting poster presentations
Alaskan North Slope Lakes and Water Use Annual Project Highlights: • AWRA Featured Collection of Papers • Phase 1 – Lake Hydrology • Phase 1 – Lake Geochemistry • Phase 2 – Lake Water Use • Phase 2 – Lake DO Modeling • Joint Canadian – Lake Bathymetry • Joint Canadian – Fisheries/DO • Planned publication late 2007
Alaskan North Slope Lakes and Water Use Annual Project Highlights: • Two new coordinated projects with Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities • Bullen Point Road-Corridor Design Project (oil/gas potential lease areas) • Foothills Road-Corridor Project (gas potential lease areas) • BLM cooperating project to support NPRA Network area • New coastal stations and support from MMS
Project Highlight: DO Budget Modeling Tools Calibrated Constants Data Inputs • Water column oxygen demandSediment oxygen demand • Ice growth • Oxygen Diffusion/mixing subroutine • Freezing exclusion efficiency • Lake type • Lake area and average depth • Critical oxygen concentration • Pumping information Oxygen Demand/Diffusion Model Model Outputs • Dissolved Oxygen Profiles • Average DO Concentration
Project Highlight: Lake Characteristics Cott and others, 2005
Project Highlight: Lake Characteristics Cott and others, 2005
Project Highlight: Lake Characteristics Cott and others, 2005
Project Highlight: Lake Characteristics Cott and others, 2005
Project Highlight: Water Asset Permitting Inflow ?? Outflow ??
Project Highlight: Hydrology and Water Use Kuparuk Canning NPRA
Alaskan North Slope Lakes and Water Use Project Recommendations In Action! • Gravel mine sites allow cumulative volume permitting to support single point of extraction • Mine Site B, Kuparuk Deadarm Reservoirs • Surface Ice Removal be Treated Separately • Alpine Field Lakes allowed for Ice Removal (selected lakes) • Annual Water Use Permitting Moving to Water Year (selected new lakes)
Alaskan North Slope Lakes and Water Use Water Asset Management Considerations • Adopt a common approach to defining full volumes • L9312, Mine Site B good example cases • Improve water asset accounting to include overfull volumes and inputs during summer periods • All study lakes and reservoirs are good examples • As more independent companies become active, how will they have access to processed water assets?
Alaskan North Slope Lakes and Water Use 2007 Activities: • Publication of Phase 1 report • Monthly sampling trips • Incorporation of MMS stations into NSL Network • Completion of DO predictive model • Study Lake Watershed Modeling • Start Distributed Watershed Modeling • Publication of AWRA Journal articles • Alaska Section, AWRA North Slope Hydrology and Water Use Special Session, April, Fairbanks
Budget Summary • Estimated Economic Benefits: • Exploration Costs for saving one extra season • $2,500,000 ice-road construction costs • $5,000,000+ rig and mobilization costs • Reduce O/M Ice Road Costs • Reduce potential expansions to additional lakes • Increase water availability for in-field development and operations • DOE 3-Year Budget FY05-07: • DOE/NETL: $1.12M total • BLM: ~$50k/yr + ($70 Cash) • Non-Fed Match: $500+k/yr • ADOT 3-YearBudget FY06-08 • $5.5M/total for both projects • Lakes, Hydrology, Climate • BLM 2-YearBudget FY06-07 • $104K project total