to be widened and strengthened in some areas to accept the weight of heavy 

 equipment. 



Three wells were reached by a combination marine-land method. One of the 

 wells required considerable negotiation before a mutually agreeable access 

 route was decided upon. The company wished to enter Pool 3, a large (12,150- 

 ha, or 30,000-acre) freshwater impoundment approximately 4.2 km (2.8 mi) west 

 of the wellsite. It proposed to dredge all the way to the well stake. In 

 order to minimize the total area of undisturbed marsh to be dredged, the USFWS 

 proposed that the company deepen an existing canal for a distance of about 

 5 km (3.2 mi) and enter the freshwater impoundment by levee and board road 

 from the north. This was the method finally chosen. 



The remaining wells were reached by dredged canal. Most were near exist- 

 ing canals, and in some cases required only dredging of a wellsite adjacent to 

 the canal. The current philosophy regarding access and site preparation for 

 this refuge is to use board runs and marsh-level locations as much as possible. 



Site preparation and operation. At dredged location sites, spoil was 

 usually placed completely around the site in a continuous closed levee. 

 Dredged well sites were of a size typical for floating rigs. Older well sites 

 may have been elevated, but more recently, marsh-floor sites have been required 

 with levees surrounding the work area. 



The well sites have had earthen mud and reserve pits. Some of the older 

 sites still have the pit levees in place. However in newer sites, particularly 

 in impounded marshes, the refuge has required that the pits be filled in and 

 leveled. At the time of the study, Texaco planned a new well near the shore 

 of Lake Calcasieu. Some agencies were pushing to require that pits be lined 

 and that all mud and tailings be removed. The USFWS felt that a simple toxic- 

 ity test of the materials in the pit might suffice to determine whether the 

 materials may remain in the marsh. 



Placement and operation of production facilities. Three areas on the 

 refuge have production facilities. One tank battery was placed near Stark's 

 Canal. A Dryex unit (compressor and drying appartus for natural gas) was 

 placed near a number of wells and is used to pump natural gas. A tank battery 

 with separators is located east of State Highway 27. The latter facility is 

 located on an area of raised land and contains several tanks. It also contains 

 a brine-holding pond that receives water from a separator. At the time of the 

 study, the brine was hauled away by truck several times a week. However the 

 company was planning a brine-disposal well. At one time, brine had been 

 allowed to run out into the adjacent prairie marsh. A large stand of hog cane 

 had originally been present, but the brine raised the soil salinity signifi- 

 cantly, and the hog cane was largely replaced by marshhay cordgrass. 



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