Going to the Well

A Michigan contractor sees huge potential in Class I wells for environmentally sound disposal of nonhazardous liquid wastes.

By Scott Bestul

Contractors wanting a glimpse into the future of non-hazardous liquid waste disposal should visit northern Michigan. There, outside the small town of Johannesburg, is the home of Northeastern Exploration, a company that has developed and perfected a Class I Disposal Well under the watchful eye of owner Dennis Hall.

According to Dennis, industries and municipalities struggling with nonhazardous liquid waste disposal are increasingly turning to Class I wells - also known as deep wells. "Deep wells are the only method of disposal that's 100 percent effective and that doesn't utilize or affect other natural resources," he says. "As local, state and federal regulatory agencies continue to tighten restrictions, they're beginning to see the value of facilities like ours."

Deep wells deposit liquid wastes far below the earth's surface - from one-quarter mile to two miles - in natural geologic formations. Thousands of feet of impermeable rock formations separate the injection zone from potential drinking water sources.

Permanent solution

"We're injecting waste into the Dundee Formation, which is filled with brackish water," Dennis says. "In essence, we're putting waste where it already exists, and we're getting rid of it permanently. We're seeing a growth in our business because the alternatives aren't usually acceptable. You can treat liquid waste over and over with a variety of methods, but if you dump it in a river or spread it on the ground, it's still there, affecting other resources.

"In Michigan, big industries once used Lake Erie, Lake Huron and the Detroit River for their liquid waste dumps, and water quality suffered because of it. People just aren't willing to accept methods that have negative impacts on the environment anymore." While deep well disposal is a little-known method within the industry, the technique has a solid reputation. "The oil and gas business has been using deep wells for more than 50 years," Dennis notes.

"They had to find a way to deal with the liquid wastes from their operations, and geologists helped them discover and pioneer the technology. They've proven that it works, yet our industry has been slow to follow their lead. It's understandable, because it's expensive and difficult to set up. And traditions are hard to battle; if your father and your grandfather did something one way, then that's the way you'll probably want to do it. But we live in a different age now. We're learning that just because a method is cheap and easy doesn't necessarily mean it's the best."

Vacuum system

As Dennis observes, the Northeastern well injects liquids into the Dundee Formation, a porous limestone layer 2,328 feet below the surface and 1,500 feet beneath any usable water source. The Northeastern facility handles only dilute waste streams, containing dissolved salts or low concentrations of suspended solids.

"If we pumped at full capacity daily for 20 years, the resulting plume would only extend to a radius of 850 yards," says Dennis. "Under average flows, the plume wouldn't extend 150 yards. That's pretty small when you think about it."

Northeastern's well operates on a vacuum system. "There are no pumps to push material down," says Dennis. "We can handle in excess of 20,000 gallons per hour, and we undergo balloon pressure tests yearly. We've gained only two pounds of pressure in the last decade, and that's for millions of gallons of injected wastes."

The system is under continuous monitoring to verify safe operation and permit compliance. Northeastern Exploration's well exists on the site of a former dry well that Dennis used for his facility. The drilling and construction were completed in 1991, but it wasn't until 1997 that the operation received final approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). It is the only deep well in Michigan, and one of only a handful in the United States.

Getting the well itself functional was one hurdle Dennis had to negotiate before getting state and federal approval. "Before we could start up, every active well within a 2-mile radius had to have a depth- and water-quality analysis completed on it," he notes. "And every existing inactive well within 5 miles of our plant - even wells dug back to the 1800's - had to be plugged. It was a lengthy, expensive undertaking and one that some operators simply couldn't afford."

Growing customer base

While it has taken some time to grow the business, Dennis feels good times are ahead. "I believe it's simply a matter of education for people to understand and appreciate deep well systems," he says. 'The only people opposed to it either haven't been educated about the technology or they have ties to the industries who'll have to pay more for it.

"I think it's just a matter of time and education before more people see the benefits. Unfortunately, it costs so much for a new operator to start up - between actual construction and the dozens of regulatory hoops you have to jump through - that it just takes longer to grow and expand than it should.

"There is a new operator trying to start up south of us, and he's had a real battle that's lasted nearly 10 years. Even politicians have spoken out against his operations, accusing deep wells of 'injecting wastes into the bowels of the earth.' But with education, public opinion is changing. There was a supposedly-organized demonstration rally against this other operation awhile back, and no one showed up. We're hoping he succeeds, because this method is legitimate and has many applications."

While it took a large investment to start his facility, Dennis is starting to see some return. Last year Northeastern did $500,000 worth of business, and it will likely grow again this year. Fortunately, searching for customers has been a virtual non-issue since he's become functional. "We really don't have to go looking for new customers," he notes. "Most of our clients are directed to us from the EPA or DEQ, who've been assessing or regulating industries and municipalities on their non-hazardous liquid waste disposal. In Michigan, oil and gas companies are still fairly active - there was a significant oil strike in the 1960s and 1970s - and they use our facility. Also, there is a lot of drilling for salt here, and we're a natural outlet for them. But what we're really striving to get into is the landfill leachate market."

Looking at landfills

Leachates are the fluids created when rainwater filters through a landfill and collects atop the liner system. "They can pump it out and try to treat it at wastewater treatment facilities and run it through as sewage, but it's not," Dennis says. "It's pretty nasty stuff, about the consistency and color of coffee. They're finding that if they try to reintroduce it, they've got problems.

"In southern Michigan they've discovered many wells contaminated by leachates and it's creating a real disposal problem for communities. We're hoping that more and more municipalities will start coming to us to dispose of them." Other potential industries that might use deep well disposal are fertilizer, paper, aerospace, food, textile, utilities, pharmaceutical, agriculture, manufacturing, and chemicals.

The Northeastern facility accepts wastes only from properly licensed waste-hauling vehicles like vacuum trucks, tankers, and transports. No individual barrels or small bulk liquid containers are allowed, and every generator and wastewater source must be pre-approved before Northeastern will accept their transports.

Wastewater may not contain more than 2.5 percent total suspended solids (TSS), and it must pass through a 100 micron filter. Waste must not be listed on federal registers of hazardous substances.

Professional atmosphere

While Dennis describes Northeastern Exploration as "a Mom and Pop operation" (Dennis, wife Kathleen, and employees Paul "Red" Husted and Ron Morrell are the only employees), the company strives for excellence. "We looked long and hard before hiring Red and Ron," Kathleen says. "We basically hand-picked them after observing the work ethic, personality, and professionalism they displayed in the community. And we've been rewarded; they treat this business like it's their own."

The small crew attends to trucks entering the clean, well-kept, 25-acre facility. Waste haulers follow a gravel road loop to one of the six storage tanks. Waste is unloaded and transferred from one tank to the next until it flows underground. All of the intervening pipes lie above-ground so they can be inspected for leakage.

The tanks rest on a dike system designed to hold three times the volume of the tanks, providing containment in case of a breach. "We try to keep our grounds nice and neat," Dennis says. "There's white gravel around the tanks and mowed grass all around. We've planted a bunch of trees to keep things looking fresh and growing. The community gave us an award for our landscaping efforts, and our facility has been described by folks in the industry as one of the best-kept around. That was a nice compliment."

Northeastern's quality-first motto extends to its own truck. It's a 9,500-gallon aluminum-tank vacuum truck built by Acro Trailer Company in Springfield, Mo. "It's a 2002 Kenworth with an 18-speed, 600 Cat engine," says Dennis. "It's a 7-axle truck (three fixed, four lift) with an air-ride suspension, heated leather seats, and chrome trim throughout. It's been a nice rig for us. We run it all over the state for pick-ups."

With careful attention to detail and a tireless work ethic, it's likely that the folks at Northeastern will see satisfying growth as one of the first deep-well operations in the country. "When I first came to Michigan, I could see the need for a facility like this," Dennis recalls. "And there's a need for more like us all around the country. I'm convinced when people get the facts about this technology - that they can dispose of these wastes completely and eliminate so many environmental concerns - it will really catch on."

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