Tony Gogel | Geology Reports

USGS1986

Geohydrology of and potential for fluid disposal in the Arbuckle Aquifer in Kansas

The Arbuckle aquifer is an extensive aquifer that contains mostly saline water and that immediately overlies Precambrian ' basement ' rocks throughout Kansas, except for major uplift areas where it has been removed by erosion. In the southeast part of the state, it is a major freshwater aquifer. The upper part of the Arbuckle contains significant oil and gas reservoirs in central and south-central Kansas. During the last 40 years the Arbuckle also has become the major zone of fluid disposal in the state. Most of the fluids disposed into the Arbuckle were produced from oil and gas wells in other formations. However, in recent years, state water agencies have become increasingly concerned about injection of fluids into the subsurface and the effects of injection on the hydrologic systems involved. An investigation of the geohydrology of the Arbuckle aquifer and of the hydrologic aspects of fluid disposal into the Arbuckle was conducted to evaluate these effects. Hydraulic characteristics obtained from drill stem tests, injection tests, and numerical modeling have indicated a range of permeability in the Arbuckle from 1 millidarcy to 30 darcys. Analysis of injection tests indicated that average permeability in the basin areas probably is in the 50-300 millidarcy range. Analyses of 76 geophysical logs indicate an average porosity of about 12%. An evaluation of the geohydrology of the Arbuckle shows that it is a large regional flow system that is in hydraulic connection with several other major aquifers. Groundwater flow within the Arbuckle is principally from the west-northwest to the east-southeast. Brine disposal in the Arbuckle has been increasing over the years. Rates of injection average about 60 gal/min. Model analysis, using aquifer properties similar to those expected in the basin areas and under selected conditions of well injection into the Arbuckle, indicates that, even with an injection rate of only 100 gal/min, pressure increases equivalent to fluid-level rises of up to 100 ft are expected as far as 500 ft away from the injection well. The model analysis indicates that the effects of transmission of fluid through the confining layer on overlying units are minor. (Lantz-PTT)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1981

Preliminary data from Arbuckle test wells, Miami, Douglas, Saline, and Labette counties, Kansas

Preliminary data are presented for test wells in Kansas that were completed in Cambrian and Ordovician rocks of the Arbuckle Group in late 1979 and early 1980. Included in the report are hole history, electrical logs, geology (sample descriptions and cores), hydrologic testing, and geochemistry. These wells were drilled as part of a cooperative investigation between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Kansas Geological Survey, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine the regional hydrology of the Arbuckle Group and to investigate the hydraulic characteristics of the formation at site-specific areas. The test wells were drilled in Miami (site 1), Douglas (site 2), Saline (site 3), and Labette (site4) Counties, Kansas. Depths of the wells ranged from 1,816 feet in Labette County to 3,665 feet in Saline County. All wells have surface casing installed to depths well below the base of freshwater. The wells were cased from land surface to near the top of the Arbuckle Group; the remainder of the hole was left open so that additional hydrologic tests could be made. Cores of rocks in the Arbuckle Group were collected at sites 2, 3, and 4. Results ofcore analyses are presented for vertical and horizontal permeability to air, porosity , fluid saturation, accoustic velocity, resistivity indices, and formation factor. Gamma-ray logs of the core were run for correlation with electrical logs. A series of electrical logs was run at each site, consisting of dual-induction laterolog, sonic, and compensated neutron-formation density logs for correlating geologic and hydrologic data. Flow logs and temperature logs also were run at some sites. Formation data from drill-stem tests are presented for use in calculating transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity, and hydraulic head. Complete analyses of water samples from wells at sites 2, 3, and 4, and a partial analysis at site 1, are presented to indicate water quality in the aquifers.

Kansas↗