Evaluation of Contamination and Remediation Manvel Saltwater Disposal Site Brazoria County, Texas

The Manvel Saltwater Disposal (SWD) site (RRC Site No. 92-03-00003), which lies within the city limits of Manvel, Texas, in Brazoria County, was investigated by the Bureau of Economic Geology during a 5-month study from July through November 2015. The study included hydrogeological investigation, waste characterization, assessment of environmental impact, and evaluation of remediation options. Saltwater, drilling waste, and crude oil have been disposed of at the site. There have been several instances of pit overflow, levee rupture, or both, resulting in contamination of the surrounding area by saltwater and crude oil. There have been several public complaints to regulatory agencies, centered on the perceived threat to groundwater quality. The site lies in the outcrop of the Beaumont Formation, where the formation is sufficiently thick to be a local aquifer, containing freshwater with chlorinities of less than 100 mg/L. The Beaumont lies above and is hydrologically distinct from the main water-yielding part of the Chicot aquifer.