1 MR. LANE: Jim, am I correct in assuming that the produced water 



2 is also run through the oil -water separator on the platform, and that is 



3 where you have the discharge limitation of 48 parts per million? 



4 DR. RAY: There are a variety of different kinds of separation 



5 equipment. There is an oil -water separator and there are gas-flotation 



6 units. There are a variety of different things, but one way or the 



7 other, they put on whatever the necessary treatment is to get down to 



8 the allowable oil and grease maximum for discharge. Without that, they 



9 can't discharge it. 



10 DR. AURAND: So, must meet-- 



11 MR. LANE: The 48 parts per million discharge standard. 



12 DR. RAY: 48 milliliters per liter oil and grease. 



13 DR. TEAL: What does that mean? 



14 DR. RAY: What does that mean? 



15 DR. TEAL: How do they measure it? 



16 DR. RAY: That's where they measure the oil and grease test. What 



17 we find is in produced waters, the oil and grease test is primarily 



18 picking up the dispersed oil that we've got in there. 



19 The thing that the oil and grease test does not pick up are 



20 soluble hydrocarbons, and that is what a lot of studies going on right 



21 now are dealing with. The total organic carbon of a produced water can 



22 range anywhere from about 200 up to about 600 milligrams per liter total 



23 organic carbon. Napthenic acids make up a good portion of this. 



24 A lot of things that fall into that envelope are hard to even 



25 analyze for, but the oil and grease test is the primary test that is 



26 used and that is primarily picking up our dispersed oil that is in the 



27 water. 



28 MR. VILD: Jim, do you have produced water even when you are doing 



29 exploration drilling or is produced water just kind of by definition 



30 associated with oil and gas? 



31 DR. RAY: No, produced water is a byproduct of when you produce 



32 oil, when you bring oil to the surface. When you bring oil to the 



33 surface, it comes up with water and some gas. Then you go through a 



315 



