| Title | Environmental Monitoring of Air, Soil and Surface Water Resources; A Case Study on Meshkinshahr Geothermal Field Development |
|---|---|
| Authors | Soheil Porkhial, Rooholamin Shabihkhani, Saba Oladnia, Ali Moridi |
| Year | 2010 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Environmental Monitoring, Geothermal Power Plant, Drilling |
| Abstract | Meshkinshahr Geothermal field is located in the north western part of Iran, in Meshkinshahr City in the northern flank of the Sabalan Mountains in Ardebil Province. This geothermal field is the first geothermal site developed in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and was selected for construction of the first geothermal power plant. The region is considered an ecologically sensitive area with a large number of springs and touristic resorts. The developing plan consisting of 20 exploratory and production wells with approximately 2000 m depth started in year 2008. Accordingly, environmental monitoring and study of possible changes in the environment are in progress simultaneously with the civil works and drilling activities. During drilling and discharge tests of geothermal wells, a large amount of geothermal brine and drilling mud discharged into the river, and shallow and deep aquifers. It will also affect reservoirs which are feeding hot and cold springs and finally drain into the river. Environmental monitoring studies will be continued for 6 years, consisting of monitoring and analyzing of air, soil and surface water resources. Field sampling of Khiyav-Chay River and hot springs is ongoing every 2 weeks, and air and soil will be sampled every 6 months. An appropriate model will be used to predict the probable impacts of different phases of the project and at last but not least an integrated management plan will be developed to reduce and control probable impacts. The results of the study up to now show that during the 21 months of monitoring, drilling activities did not significantly change the water quality of the river and springs. And the concentrations of all physical, chemical and biological elements are less than drinking water standard levels. The only exception is the concentration of some heavy metals which were higher than drinking water standards. These were not high in pre-drilling baseline measurements studies but for conclusive interpretation more data points need to be observed. |