Chemical Fingerprints to Assess the Effects of Geothermal Development on Water Quality in Imperial Valley

摘要

A two-year baseline water quality study was conducted in the Imperial Valley. The data accumulated, together with the drinking and irrigation water criteria and the known costs of chemical analyses, augment findings on brine chemistry throughout the Valley and on constituents in the Vail 4A Drain, an agricultural drain in the Salton Sea KGRA. These suggest minimum parameters that should be monitored in future programs for water quality management during the development of the geothermal resources in Imperial Valley. They are concentrations of B, Li, Mn, Zn, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl, SO sub 4 , CO sub 3 , and HCO sub 3 , TDS, SC, pH, and temperature. Arsenic, Se, Pb, and Ni should also be considered in the future because of their possible elevation in some brines above existing water quality criteria. (ERA citation 03:054883)