Reported and estimated total produced water disposal volumes (1901-2019) for percolation and evaporation ponds at the southwestern San Joaquin Valley, Kern County, California

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board compiled and analyzed data to estimate for 1901-2019 the total volumes of produced water disposed of at percolation and evaporation ponds at the Midway-Sunset, Buena Vista, Elk Hills, McKittrick, Cymric, North Belridge, South Belridge, and Lost Hills Oil Fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley (SWSJV), Kern County, California. Data were compiled from state and local agencies databases, including the California State Water Resources Control Board GeoTracker, California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS), and Ponds Status Report (2019); the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) Well Production and Injection Database (1977-2019); CalGEM Summary of Operations (1920-1976); and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board Pond List (updated November 19, 2019). For disposal facilities that receive produced water from multiple sources, volumes were estimated from cumulative values (historical through 1986), approximate daily rates of disposal, and annual flow estimates reported in technical and annual monitoring reports and waste discharge requirements. For ponds at individual oil and gas leases, produced water volumes were estimated from annual and monthly flow values in technical and annual monitoring reports; water production volumes from oil wells at the leases were used to estimate disposal volumes during years with no data. Reported values are given in the SWSJV_ponds_disposal_volumes.csv table. At the Midway-Sunset and Buena Vista Oil Fields (MSBV), the total estimated produced water disposal at each pond is summarized in the MSBV_ponds_summary.csv table and a comparison between pond water disposal and oil well water production volumes for years that have data for both is available in the MSBV_disposal_production_comparison.csv table.

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  "010:12"
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  "geospatial"
]