Inside the CWWS trailer. |
The 400-mile Central Valley is many things: the world's largest agricultural area; the "salad bowl", where half of the country's vegetables are grown. But this year, with water shortages of a severity unseen for decades, many farmers and others are echoing the recent words of U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu that, if current weather patterns continue, Californian agriculture could disappear. "We are confident that the testing of our systems and the employment of our technology in this region will greatly impact and assist the current water issues in California," stated Snydmiller. "Water treatment is a severe and dire issue right now in the area, we only hope that we can help."
The growing oil and gas plays in Arkansas present a different wastewater issue. Concern in this region falls within the volume of water that's being stored in temporary surface pits until a cost efficient, liability free method of recovery or disposal is accepted, which at the moment, is virtually non-existent. Tangent feels it could implement its current systems' footprint on a trial basis, to prove the technology, then design the system needed on a larger scale to handle the volumes of water being produced. "The Arkansas State regulations are some of the most progressive in the country at this time, which in turn opens up many opportunities to be able to enter the market and help recycle, reuse and dispose of the water that's the result of growing drilling programs," stated Snydmiller.
The Arkansas Oil & Gas Commission's mission is to prevent waste, encourage conservation and protect the ownership rights associated with the production of oil, natural gas and brine while protecting the environment during the production process. The agency conducts monthly hearings to review and approve proposed rules and regulations; creates drilling and production units and establishes oil and gas production field rules to protect correlative rights, protect the oil- and gas-producing reservoir, prevent waste resulting from overproduction and establish a defined area for the sharing of production proceeds and production costs. Tangents' technology is currently being assessed by two major operators in the Arkansas area for wastewater issues. Their hope is to be involved in the near future as an equipment provider which will assure new technology and employment in the region.
"There is not an aggressive enough approach to solving wastewater issues' and there are a lot of existing technologies, including our own that can deal with these problems, in a cost saving manner providing a better world for the next generation," Snydmiller said. "We know that the pressure that we are putting on our freshwater supplies can be greatly reduced and water that is being disposed of in a very irresponsible manner can be now reused for the benefit of both environment and industry."
Acknowledgments: The author wishes to thank Tangent Environmental Technologies Ltd., of Calgary, Canada, for its assistance on this article, particularly president & CEO Jason Snydmiller. Contact: 403-730-3410 or www.tangentot.com
Author's Note: Jonathan Molina is a vice president and managing director of New Wave Media Inc., a marketing and public relations company in Calgary, Canada.
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