ANWR Feature - Then and Now technology impact of development

Then and Now

How two decades of growing technology have shrunk the enviromental impacts of development...

THEN	NOW
110-foot spacing between wells Click for more	35-foot spacing; at Endicott, 10-foot well spacing
Surface disposal of drilling wastes and rock cuttings in reserve pits	Cuttings grinder to grind drilling wastes; injection of ground wastes in confining zone more than 3,000 feet below the tundra surface. Eliminates need for reserve pits.
Large well pad manifolding facilities requiring Lower '48 construction and barge delivery to the North Slope during brief open-water period in summer	"Minimodule" manifolding facilities that can be built in Alaska and trucked to the North Slope year-round
A Pad at Prudhoe Bay: 35 wells on 44 acres	P Pad at Prudhoe Bay: 21 wells on 10.5 acres. 10-acre Satellite Drilling Island at Endicott designed for 50 wells.
Deadhorse contractor service area with more than 100 separate leases administered by State of Alaska to contractors and service companies supporting Prudhoe Bay development. More than 1,000 acres.	Kuparuk Industrial Center with consolidated facilities for contractor operations supporting Kuparuk oil field development, managed by North Slope Borough. 55 acres.
Abandoned gravel pits left after gravel mining to support oil field development	Flooding of abandoned pits to provide fish overwintering habitat and fresh water for industrial use
Permanent gravel roads adjacent to pipelines to support pipeline construction	Temporary ice roads to support pipline contruction. Roads melt in spring, leaving no visible trace.
Gravel pads for all onshore and some offshore exploratory drilling	Ice pads for exploratory activities in which wells can be drilled in single winter season
Construction of roads in close proximity to pipelines and installation of pipelines close to tundra surface	Separation of roads and pipelines and elevation of pipelines to 5-foot minimums to facilitate caribou movement in the oil fields, based on more than 10 years of research
Impounded water resulting from gravel road and pad placement	Studies on the use of arctic pendant grass to revegetate disturbed wetlands, providing valuable habitat for water birds. Culverts to eliminate most impoundments, and geobotanical mapping to avoid sensitive, high-value habitat areas with road and pad placement.
Disposal of oil-contaminated wastes (well workover fluids, tank and vessel sediment, pipeline waste, spill cleanups, rinse water) in unlined surface pits	Storage of solids in lined surface impoundments and underground injection of liquids. Permitting under way for a new centralized waste management facility at Prudhoe Bay that would recycle more than 95% of all associated wastes, including those currently stored in surface pits, from producing companies and contractors. Expected to operational by mid-1990's.
5,600 acres of tundra directly affected by Prudhoe Bay development, using best available technology of the day	1,500 acres of tundra directly affected by Prudhoe Bay development if it were built from scratch today, using current technology. Reduction primarily due to eliminating duplication of facilities and reserve pits, more compact facilities and closer well spacing.