Inorganic Pollutants in the Water of Midland and Odessa, Permian Basin, West Texas

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the public water contamination in the cities of Midland and Odessa, West Texas. Even though both cities are geographically close, their sources of water for public use are different. For this study, the copper-, lead-, arsenic-, nitrate-, and chromium-level reports in drinking water, provided by the cities from 2008 to 2017, were organized and analyzed using Cubic Hermite Interpolation. The results for each contamination per city were compared and contrasted with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Also, this study proposed possible risks to human health, as well as potential origins of the pollutants. Finally, conclusions about the quality of water for human consumption and possible reasons behind the difference of results between the 2 cities were made.

Monitoring Environmental Parameters with Oil and Gas Developments in the Permian Basin, USA

“…Numerous studies have been conducted to identify the effect of oil and gas production on environmental changes. Unconventional oil and gas production provides a decreasing trend of groundwater quality (chloride, nitrate) over time in the Permian Basin, West Texas [5,6]. The land-use changes in West and Central Texas during the shale boom of 2008-2012 are a direct result from the utilization for unconventional reservoirs and the development of energy resources and other human contributing activities [7,8].…”

“…The land-use changes in West and Central Texas during the shale boom of 2008-2012 are a direct result from the utilization for unconventional reservoirs and the development of energy resources and other human contributing activities [7,8]. Previous studies [5][6][7][8] have suggested that oil and gas development affected various entities, including groundwater quality and land-use changes. However, few studies have combined both groundwater and land-use factors to identify how oil and gas development related to the environmental changes.…”

Chemical Contamination of Soil on Urban Territories With Aluminum Production in the Baikal Region, Russia

“…The obtained data of element contents in the soil of Shelekhov are confirmed by the work of other researchers in Russia 5,7,26,27 and in other regions of the world. 10,[32][33][34] The soil cover survey shows the presence of contaminating chemical elements in its composition, which might result in their accumulation in the adjacent areas, in the composition of agricultural crops, biological substrate, that of the human one inclusive as noted by other researchers. 34,56,57 The minimum and maximum contents of some toxic elements in soils around aluminum and anode plants being built close to Tayshet town are markedly similar to those of Shelekhov (Table 1).…”

“…At present, soils are factually a complicated natural-anthropogenic system due to the long-term inflow of toxicants caused by industrial production. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Aluminum production has been continuously growing worldwide because this element is actually irreplaceable in diverse industries. 11 Aluminum is derived from a rock with a complex composition-bauxite.…”

Soil Contamination Assessments from Drilling Fluids and Produced Water Using Combined Field and Laboratory Investigations: A Case Study of Arkansas, USA

“…Organic additives include petroleum products and compounds altered or man-made [ 4 ]. Inorganic additives consist of alkaline earth and metal salts employed to alter properties of bentonite clay [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Soil properties and plant growth can be negatively affected from by the contents of drilling fluid wastes.…”