JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. Allen Press and Society for Range Management are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Range Management. Abstract On-site disposal of drilling fluids frequently causes severe, longterm disturbance of rangeland soils. The effects of mulch on establishment and standing crops of seeded kochia [Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad.] King Ranch bluestem (Bothrochloaischaemwn (L.) KengJ Lehmann lovegrass (Eragrostis khmaniana Nees), kleingrass 'Selection 75' (Panicum coloratum L.), alkali sacaton [Sporobolus airoides (Toff.) Torr.J and fourwig saitbush [Atriplex canescens (Pursh) Nuttl and transplanted fourwing saltbush were evaluated on 4, recently covered oil well reserve pits in Reagan County Texas, in 1981 and 1982. On-site dbposal of drilling fluids resulted in substantial to large increases in sodium adsorption ratios (SAR) and concentrations of soluble salts, primanrly sodium chloride, in reserve pit soils. Mulching with 4,500 kg/ha of weathered hay had no effect, but irrigation was esential for establishment and growth of the seeded species on severely contaminated soils (EC. 71 to 114 dS m', SAR 33 to 127). Mulching improved establishment and yields of seeded King Ranch bluestem and kleingrass on reserve pit soils with EC. values of 9to 1 dS m-1 and SAR values of 12 to 16. Application of 5.1 cm of supplemental water and mulching reserve pit soils with EC. values of 3 to 7 and SAR values of 5 to 9 stimulated establishment of competing vegetation, which tended to decrease establishment and yields of seeded and transplanted species. Establishment and yields of transplanted fourwing saltbush were acceptable with or without mulching or irrigation. Survival of fourwing saltbush transplants was near 100%o on moderately contaminated soils and 26 to 30%0 on severely contaminated soils. Activities associated with oil and natural gas exploration and production seriously damage large acreages of arid and semiarid rangeland in west Texas. Construction of drilling sites, oil field roads, installation of pipelines, and on-site disposal of drilling fluids reduce forage and browse production, increase susceptibility of soils to erosion, and frequently result in persistent stands of undesirable plants. Oil and gas production activities have caused soil salinity problems on about 174,000 ha of land in Texas (Carl Gray, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Temple, Texas, unpublished data).Most oil and gas wells in west Texas are drilled by the rotary method. Typical drilling fluids or muds contain 5% bentonite in fresh water or brine, with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) added as a dispersant, lignite or lignosulfonate to stabilize the slurry, and a density incre...
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Surface disposal of spent drilling fluids used in petroleum and natural gas exploration causes surface soil contamination that severely inhibits secondary plant succession and artificial revegetation efforts. Selective‐placement burial was evaluated at two locations in western Texas for on‐site disposal of drilling fluids in arid and semiarid regions. Establishment, yield, and chemical composition of fourwing saltbush [Atriplex canescens (Pursh) Nutt.] and buffalograss [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.] transplants on undisturbed soils and plots with spent drilling fluids and cuttings buried 30, 90 (with and without a 30‐cm coarse limestone and capillary barrier) and 150 cm were compared. Survival of boths pecies was 97 to 100% 17 months after planting on plots with buried drilling wastes. Canopy cover and aboveground biomass of fourwing saltbush were greater over buried drilling wastes than on untreated plots, whereas canopy cover and aboveground biomass of buffalograss were not affected by the treatments. Significant increases in Na, K, and Mg concentrations in buffalograss after 17 months on plots with drilling fluids buried 30 cm deep at one location indicated plant uptake of some drilling fluid constituents. Elevated Zn concentrations in fourwing saltbush indicated that a portion of the Zn in the drilling fluids was available for plant uptake, while no evidence of plant accumulation of Ba, Cr, Cu, or Ni from drilling fluids was detected. Selective‐placement burial of drilling fluids offers an environmentally sound technique that will enhance revegetation efforts.
Burial of spent drilling fluids used in petroleum and natural gas exploration was evaluated for reducing soil contamination caused by conventional, surface disposal of these wastes on arid and semiarid rangelands. Simulated reserve pits at two locations provided burial depths of 30, 90 (with and without a 30‐cm capillary barrier of coarse limestone), and 150 cm below the surface, with sequential replacement of stockpiled subsoil and topsoil. The drilling fluids contained extremely high concentrations of soluble salts [electrical conductivities (EC) = 155–185 dS m−1], with Na and Cl being the dominant soluble ions. Upward migration of contaminants was evaluated over a 20‐month period. Soluble salts migrated upward 15 to 30 cm into the overlying soil, and salt movement appeared to be governed to a greater extent by diffusive rather than convective flow mechanisms. Capillary barriers of coarse limestone effectively reduced salt movement at one of the two sites. Sodium, Ca, and Cl were the dominant mobile ions. Exchangeable Na percentages did not increase in soil increments > 15 cm above buried drilling wastes. Barium, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn in drilling fluids did not migrate into overlying soil. Movement of contaminants was similar where fourwing saltbush [Atriplex canescens (Pursh) Nutt.], a deep‐rooted shrub, and buffalograss [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm], a hallow‐rooted grass, were used for revegetation. Selective‐placement burial of drilling fluids offers an effective and environmentally sound alternative to conventional surface disposal. The probability of upward movement of excessive soluble salts into the plant root zone appears greater for 30‐cm burial, compared to 90‐ or 150‐cm burial, because of greater soil water contents at the soil/waste interface and greater upward water potential gradients in the surface 30 cm.
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