87. 



Contact of fresh and salt water in aquifer is in dynamic bal- 

 ance; man captures fresh water on surface so recharge is im- 

 peded and the contact migrates upward. 



Injection of liquid into permeable formation raises pressure. 

 Cracks, faults, unplugged or poorly plugged drill holes (locations 

 in many cases unknown) would permit wastes to leak out of for- 

 mation intended for storage and enter formations containing valu- 

 able oil or water. Pressure increases might induce fracturing 

 and leakage . 



Deliberate hydro -fracturing and sand-fracturing might break 

 the confining beds relied on to contain the waste. 



Waste may move out slowly but the pressure wave would 

 move out rapidly: what effect would this have on the contact of 

 fresh and salt water? And on existing industrial and domestic 

 users ? 



To measure, minimize, and possibly control the pressure 

 effects, the brine to be used as diluent could be pumped from the 

 same formation the waste is to be injected into; the "diluent wells" 

 could be spaced around the "injection well" so as to create a 

 closed system. 



9. Crossbed leakage might be monitored and controlled by rings of 

 wells around injection well. (Holland) 



10. If the waste solutions are heavy, the leaks will be downward, out 

 of environment; using basins means that the disposal of waste 

 would not be taking place in structures of present or potential in- 

 terest for petroleum; enormous basins are available and small 

 ones will suffice. Waste solutions could be made light for seques- 

 tering in anticlines but there are important objections: leaks would 

 be upward, toward the biologic environment, and toward zones of 

 potable water and possible oil; anticlines are generally small; the 

 oil industry already occupies a great number of anticlines making 

 for competition with disposal installations, an added difficulty for 

 AEC which is unnecessary in view of the abundance of basins. 

 (Hubbert) 



11. After numerous attempts to formulate basic principles and recom- 

 mendations of policy, the motion was made, seconded, and passed, 



