m. PHYTOTOXICOLOGY SECTION INVESTIGATION IN THE VICINITY OF RIDDELL HANNA N0.1 OIL WELL, LOT CONC CHATHAM TWP. 11, 13, KENT COUNTY, 1990 FEBRUARY 1992 Environment Environnement Ontario ^l-M i^ ISBN 0-7729-9134-0 PHYTOTOXICOLOGY SECTION INVESTIGATION IN THE VICINITY OF RIDDELL HANNA NO 1 OIL WELL, LOT 11, CONC 13, CHATHAM TWP. KENT COUNTY, 1990 Report prepared by: Phytotoxicology Section Air Resources Branch Ontario Ministry ofthe Environment ARB-071-91-PHYTO February 1992 o PflltfTtDOd RECYOfOPtPm IMPfllMESUR DUP»PIEBRECYUl Cette publication technique n'est disponible qu'en anglais. Copyright: Queen's Printer forOntario, 1992 This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes with appropriate attribution. pros 1811 log 91-2231-071 1 Background On August 28, 1990, Rick Kucera ofthe Windsor District M.O.E. office requested that the Phytotoxicology Section conduct a survey around the Riddell Hanna No 1 oil well to determine the degree and extent of damage that may have been caused to a farm field in the vicinity of the well. The well has been operating for decades, and on occasion has been purged by pumping out the brine. In the past the brine was not contained but was deposited directly onto the farm field adjacent to the well. Rod Corea of the Chatham MNR office thought that the last purging may have been as long ago as ten years. On September 19, 1990, Marius Marsh of the Phytotoxicology Section conducted an investigation of the conditions at the site. Rick Kucera and Rod Corea were also present. 2 Field Observations and Methods Large patches of bare soil were evident in the soybean field immediately south of the oil well. Soybean growth was visibly affected on a fringe of soil about six meters wide around these bare areas. These areas are shown in Figure 1. The extent of the affected area was determined by measuring the distances with a measuring tape, using the well as a reference point. Figure 1 was compiled from these measurements and from field sketches. The area was determined using a LiCor Area Meter on a cut out of Figure 1. Effects ofthe contaminant upon the soybeans were clearly evident in all adjacent areas up to three meters from the bare patches. The soybeans appeared slightly stunted and necrotic up to six meters from the bare areas. The growth in this fringe improved in the direction away from the bare patches. Soybeans in the fringe areas were stunted, although the pods had developed and were ripening. Plants nearest the bare patches had suffered early senescence and had no leaves left. Plants farther from the bare patches had necrotic or partially necrotic leaves. At the time of the investigation, the normal soybean plants were beginning to senesce, which made delineation of the affected area difficult. Soil samples were taken in duplicate at two sites within the kill area, at two sites in the zone where vegetation was visibly affected, and at one control site. Samples were taken from the - 5 cm, 10-15 cm, and, in addition in the kill area, 20 - 25 cm depths using an Oakfield soil corer. Vegetation samples ( above ground portion) were taken in dupUcate from moderately affected areas and from the control site. All samples were collected using standard Phytotoxicology sampling techniques (O.M.E.,1983). Samples were delivered to the Phytotoxicology Section sample processing laboratory in Toronto where they were dried and ground before being submitted to the Laboratory Services Branch Trace Inorganics Laboratory for chemical analysis. Vegetation samples were separated into shoot (including stem) and pod portions prior to grinding. The surface - 15 cm soil horizon was a loam soil with large amounts of very fine sands and silts, except at Site 5 which was a sandy loam. At Sites 3 and 4, the soil had a distinct salty taste. At Site 4 a very firm layer was encountered at 15 cm depth which necessitated the use of a shovel for sampling. The soil at depth had a more platy structure as opposed to the weak, fine granular and fine subangular blocky to amorphous structure nearer the surface. At depth, porosity was lower than near the surface with fine, weakly Figure 1:LocationofSaltAffectedSoilsintheVicinityofRiddell-Hanna#1 Well 40m Site5 Areaofnoplantgrowth — Areawhereplantgrowthvisiblyaffected expressed horizontal fractures occurring and very few horizontal orvertical macropores. There was no evidence of earthworms and very few other soil meso or macrofauna. All these factors may be impeding soil internal drainage and are indicative of subsoil compaction. 3 Results Results from the chemical analyses are presented in the tables below. Table 1 shows the electrical conductivity and the sodium content ofthe soil samples. Results for other metals are not shown because they showed no indication ofcontamination in the affected soils. Table 2 shows concentrations of sodium and chloride found in the soybean plants at the three sampling sites. Table 1: Electrical Conductivity and Sodium Concentrations in Soils in the Vicinity of Riddell-Hanna No 1 Oil Well, Sept 19, 1990. (mean of two samples). Site Depth 1 2 3 4 5 (control) 1 2 3 4 3 4