TECHNICAL REPORT ABOUT THE DISCHARGE OF GEOTHERMAL FLUIDS IN THE GEYSER OF TATIO AND THE ECOSYSTEM OF THE AREA

Author: Tatio Committee

25 September 2009

10 days ago one of the old wells in the Tatio sector which had fallen in disuse for more than 40 years collapsed.  Following this event and conscious that such had occurred, the Company Geotermica del Norte S.A. started the phase of reinjection in these wells

Previously, in their environmental impact study, the above-mentioned company insisted that the geothermal reservoir which was being explored was not connected in any way to the Geyser fields of Tatio.

Regardless, the massive discharge of geothermal fluids from the reinjection well shows us that the opposite is true.

This column of hot water and vapor rises over 60m high and measures roughly 2m in diameter at its base.  The activity of the larger Geysers in Tatio, which are nearby the affected well, have visibly declined.  The flow in the River Salado has rised significantly as a result of the massive amounts of geothermal fluids escaping the above-mentioned well.

It is evident that the National Geothermal Energy Company (Empresa Nacional de Geotermia S.A) does not have available a Contingency Plan for major accidents associated with these activities which they are performing in the Tatio sector.

We feel that it is absolutely necessary to form an investigative commission independent of those with executive powers.  In the years 2007 and 2008, we warned the president of the republic, Conama and the energy and mining ministry that the geothermal exploration and the conservation of the Geysers of Tatio are two incompatible activities.  We warned them that to approve the exploration of such, exposes this fragile ecosystem of the Alt el Loa and San Pedro de Atacama to grave risks.

Today the events show that we were right.

In continuation, we present a detailed analysis of the grave and irreversible effects which geothermal exploration has caused in the Geysers of Tatio and in the associated ecosystem and the people who live from these.

I. WATER CONTAMINATION

Tatio is the head of the hydrological basin which feeds the rivers el Loa and San Pedro. En el Tatio nacen las cuencas hidrográficas que nutren los ríos Loa y San Pedro. The geothermal fluid which is escaping uncontrollably from the collapsed reinjection well carries with it a contaminated waters which need to be analyzed urgently. The Nacional Geothermal Energy Company (Nacional de Geotermia S.A ) already has mentioned in its environmental impact study that such contamination could affect both surface and ground-waters.  And that this contamination from drilling activities are of medium severity, meaning that at some time in the future the conditions would return to normal.  But, this extraordinary escape of fluids which has been produced in these days is affecting the headwaters of the those rivers and groundwaters which feed the rivers Salado, Puatna, San Pedro and Vilama and possibly also the underground reservoirs of the potable water for San Pedro de Atacama. Remember that the Water Code considers the units of current; the amount of flowing water, regardless whether it is a continuous or discontinuous flow found subterranean or surface flow, from the same watershed to be considered part of the same current.

The animal and plant life which depend on this area to live are being affected.

The experience in New Zealand tell us about what are the contaminants evolved and what adverse affects they can have over the plant and animal life.  Over years, the escaped geothermal fluids had been released into the river waters in that country.

The Regional Council of Waikato in New Zealand concluded that the geothermal contaminants are the following:

Arsenic: lethal in high concentrations.  Low doses cause a huge range of different illnesses including cancer.  It is toxic for humans, fish and plants.  Source: escaped waters from geothermal wells released into the rivers and natural geothermal discharges.

BORON

In high concentration it is toxic for humans.  In low concentrations it is toxic for some crops.  Source: Waters extracted from geothermal wells discharging into rivers and natural geothermal discharges.

HEAT

Elevated temperaturas can Hill fish and aquatic life.  The fish can escape the waters if the temperatures rise slightly above their normal levels.  Source: Extracted waters and condensed vapors from geothermal wells discharging waters into surface waters.  Cooling waters from geothermal stations released into natural flows.

HYDROGEN SULFIDE

The smell of rotten eggs.  This discharge can kill if inhaled concentrations rise above dangerous levels, especially common in confined spaces.  These gases can also cause corrosión.  Toxic for fish. Source: Gaseous discharges from geothermal fluids and natural geothermal discharges.

CARBON DIOXDE

This gas can Hill fish if found in large quantities in confined spaces, like in the geothermal energy plants.  Source: gaseous discharge by the energy plants, which releases 10 times more of these gases than plants for fossil fuels.

MERCURY

A toxic element.  It accumulates in the food chain.  Concentrations of mercury in some fish species of the Waikato River exceed recommended levels for human consumption.  Source:  Water discharges from the geothermal wells and discharged into the air from cooling towers of geothermal plants.

It is essential that the authorities urgently conduct a detailed study of the waters which are being released in this industrial accident into the hydrological basins of the area

II. EXTINCTION OF THE GEYSERS AND DIMINUATION OF FLOW IN THE RIVERS SALADO AND SAN PEDRO

The ecological disaster which is presented today has a grave effect on the function and preservation of the Geysers of Tatio and the thereby fed hydrological basins.

Ronald Keam, a leading expert world-wide on the relationship between geothermal exploration and the superficial thermal manifestations and Honorary Member of the Investigations Comité in the University of Auckland, NZ, explained to us that “The form in which the well openings and the proceedings affect the geysers are as follows.  In their natural state, the geothermal fluids and vapor exposed on the surface is equal to the natural discharge of the reservoir. This discharge is produce via geysers and thermal springs. This ‘loss; is compensated for by the natural recharge of the system from rainwaters.”

“With artificial discharge produced by wells, this equilibrium will be altered.  The pressure within the reservoir is reduced.  The thermal springs and geysers found at higher elevations will start to fail, where those found at lower elevations will continue their normal behavior showing only slight reductions in the amount of discharge. This process will gradually increase in intensity as geothermal exploration intensifies.  Thermal springs and the geysers will continue failing as the water storage level in the geological beds start falling and the hydrological volume of the system decays.  The loss of pressure in the reservoir, for fluid drainage, will produce an increase of vapour in the system.  If activities proceed for long enough, all of the natural water discharges will fail.  The vapour discharges will form increasingly in the function of fumeroles. The openings of some geysers and extinct springs will convert into fumeroles”. Explain the Professor Keam

The thermal springs and geyser discharge feeding the headwaters of the Rivers Salado(thus also El Loa) and San Pedro (through the Jauna spring which shoots out of the exploration zone).  The origin of the Jauna spring is actually a large geyser which in the Environmental Impact Study was not considered.  Once the discharge of fluids from the reinjection well is abated, the decreased discharges from the Geyser field will directly affect the supply of waters to the farming communities of the Alto El Los, Machuca, Rio Grande and San Pedro de Atacama.

Stuart Simmons (Director of the Geothermal Institute of the University of Auckland in NZ) in a letter addressed to the Tatio Committee confirmed the following:

“Once we drill and discharge a well, the connections contributing to the geyser phenomenon could be interrupted forever.  Geothermal development (for the exploitation of subterranean resources) and the conservation of the geysers are incompatible activities on the scale of the situation which is described in Tatio.  There does not exist a known case of successful development of geothermal exploitation and the simultaneous conservation of geyser in New Zealand.  Moreover, the effects of subterranean exploitation tend to be irreversible.

Tatio is certainly a special thermal landscape (from a world-wide point of view) and a high priority for conservation, in my personal viewpoint…  This is the actual situation in New Zealand, where all of the geothermal resources of high temperature are catalogued in terms of conservation status.  In consequence, there are some fields available for exploitation and others which are considered off-limits.”

Tatio is the third largest geyser field in the world.  It would be the fourth, had geothermal exploitation to generate electricity had not extinguished 72% of the geysers and 54% of the thermal springs of New Zealand.

This was confirmed by Colin Harvey (Director of the Geothermal Institute and Nuclear Sciences, New Zealand) who visited Tatio in 2006 and 2007.  “The heat potential of the field will be seen to be affected by the drilling and reinjection process, once the natural conditions in which the system functions have been altered.”

The worst of all is that we are losing an incalculable quantity of water, pressure and heat from the geothermal system which nurtures the Tatio Geysers, radically altering their functionality.

The discharge of water which is occurring in Tatio and the immediate decline of Geyser activity found in the high geyser field, shows us a quick and tangible lesson in the ill effects which the exploration and exploitation of the reservoir have over the function of the Tatio Geysers.

The Profesor Keam made a simple demonstration for his students: in a U-shaped test tube he put 2cc of cold water.  He then heated another 2cc to boiling point and introduced this in the other side of the tube.  The hot water floated to the high areas of the tube, being that it is less dense and uses more volume.  As the water temperature decreased, the volume of the hot water decreased.  The same happens with the geysers, when the geothermal reservoir feeding their waters with heat and pressure is tapped into.  This means that the natural discharges of water trough the geyser openings will decline progressively until activity has ceased completely and no longer reach the surface.

III. SOIL SUBSIDENCE

What is currently happening is a grand loss of mass and heat from the geothermal system feeding the Geysers of Tatio. Even if waters are reinjected, the loss is occurring although with a lower magnitude.  The effects of this loss are irreversible over the short and medium time period.  One of these effects is the SUBSIDENCE OF SOILS.

The mechanism behind the soil subsidence is the following:

“One of the effects of geothermal exploitation is that water is extracted in large volumes from the bedrock.  The vapor which reemplaces the water is much less dense and the individual grains of the rock formations which have been drained now need to sustain a greater pressure from the overlying layers.  These grains slide relatively easily and compact causing subsidence of the overlying soils. This subsidence can not be reversed through reintroduction of waters into the soils because it would require additional energy to elevate the soils of the compacted area. Impressive examples can be seen in Wairakei, Ohaaki and I understand these areas continued to subside.” Writes the Professor Keam

“The geothermal system of Ohaaki has been used to produce electricity since 1989.  The reinjection has been executed since the beginning.  And in Nov 2002 it has been estimated that the reinjected waters consists of 92% of the extracted (SKM 2003).  But this hasn’t prevented the compaction of the geological layers and subsidence thereof. And natural surface discharges have fallen.  During these phases of investigation and development which is being conducted by the geothermal plant, the discharge from geothermal wells have caused the predicted decline in the pressure of geothermal aquifers.  The natural pool of Ohaaki no longer boils.  Its waters are drained and emptied.  The towers of silicon, no longer being supported, collapsed In other spots the subsidence has been corrected as well as it could be, but the original levels couldn’t be restored.  If the process of reinjection had been directed principally to ensure the normal expression of surface thermal waters, it has evidently failed – unless the intention was to only maintain a small number for which special efforts need to be executed.

In the zone of the Geysers of Tatio the soils are very fragile and the area is located around the edges of the reservoir.  With the massive loss of water and geothermal fluid from the area it is highly possible that subsidence will occur in these soils, carrying with it various undesired side effects for the geyser field.  On the other hand, the subsidence in the adjacent wetlands would have enormous repercussions for the ecosystem as t would effect large extensions of invaluable habitat for various PROTECTED plant and animal species.

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IV. THE RISK TO MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AND FUTURE STUDIES ON POTENTIAL BIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Alan Glennon, a scientist in the Geography Department of the University of California, Santa Barbara USA, has performed registry of the geysers of Tatio.  He explained to us in a letter addressed to the Tatio Committee.

“In the world, geyser activity has died out in the following geyser fields where geothermal plants have been developed: Wairakei (Nueva Zelandia), Steamboat Springs (Nevada, USA), y Beowawe (Nevada,USA).

Before electrical energy was being produced in Steamboat Springs, the leaders of the project guaranteed that the reinjection technology would make it possible for sustainable energy production while maintaining geyser activity.  Nevertheless, in Steamboat Springs, and in all other worldwide locations where geothermal energy has been developed, the reality is that geyser activity has ceased shortly after geothermal energy production began.

Even if one is using the latest technologies, the continued use and reuse of waters alter the nature of natural surface water flow and the temperature distribution, interrupting all thermofilic life in the surface openings.  One of the greatest potential economical losses is the prospecting of biological technologies.  Biological technology investigation of the thermofile Thermus Aquaticus in Yellowstone formed the basis for DNA registry – a technology which has generated a multi-million dollar industry.  Carleton University in the USA have registered numerous lucrative biological technologies prospected from hot springs and geysers including, among others: the production of ethanol products, the treatment of agricultural trash and the recuperation of petroleum.

References:”http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/bioprospecting/””.

The scientists Phil Bennett (Univerity of Texas in Austin, USA) and Annette Summers Engel (State University of Louisiana, USA), professors of the Geosciences School in the University of Texas and the Gephysical Institute have visited Tatio on numerous occasions since 2003.  In a letter addressed to the Tatio Committee they stated the following:

“.. one almost certain consequence of geothermal activities will be the change in microbial communities which live in the discharge openings of the Tatio geysers.  …In the moment that the geyser activity subsides, and perhaps cool or the composition of the waters change due to the process of reinjecting recycled waters, the microbial community will diminish and change.  Some communities will dry out and disappear altogether after a couple of years.  Others will surely survive, but in smaller numbers.

It is difficult to estimate the “value” of this in the case of Tatio.  What is the value of a microbial layer?  Certainly it has a cultural/touristic value in the dramatic colors and patterns that the microbial matter leaves around the hydrothermal vents.  A part of the reason why visitors come is to see just this.  But another point to consider can be realized by contemplating the biotechnology advances made as the result of the discovery of a singular enzyme (Taq polymerase) in a single organism (Thermus aquaticus) found in a thermal well in Yellowstone.  Decades later biotechnologically-useful and unique microorganisms and enzymes are still being found in Yellowstone.  And I think that Tatio could represent a similar reservoir of unique enzymes for Chile useful for biotechnological development.  Perhaps..  Should this be risked all for geothermal power?  There exists a risk.  We don’t know for certain how high this risk is; but it is a risk which should be considered. “

Today Professor Bennett and his staff of researchers have been investigating microbial communities which can help transform arsenic.  From this research they hop to develop a revolutionary system of water filtration.

CONCLUSIONS OF THIS TECHNICAL REPORT

The discharge of geothermal fluids caused by the collapse of one of the reinjection wells in Tatio is generating a grave imbalance in the ecosystem of the area.  It is without doubt that it will also leave effects on the health of the habitants, the agriculture of the area and the economy of the area.

A Natural Heritage Site in Chile and a spot of great value worldwide is being damaged.

It is absolutely necessary that the Independant Investigations Commission analyzes the magnitude of the damage caused urgently; and that they submit a new review of the Environmental Impact Study presented to the National Geothermal Company S.A (Empresa Nacional de Geotermia S.A.)

It is urgent that an exhaustive study of the geothermal fluids released into the rivers be made so that any corresponding protective and/or decontamination measurements can be taken.

It is also necessary to measure the difference in flow of the affected rivers once the discharge has been controlled and determine what damage changes in water flow levels will have on rural and agricultural communities which depend on them.

These studies should be carried out by experts:

- geyser activity monitoring, whose activity has notable decreased.  This includes the geyser at the birth of the Jauna slopes.

- monitor for measuring and detecting any soil subsidence in the affected zones.

- Registry and evaluation of the microbial communities which live in the affected Geysers.

A detailed investigation into the accounts and contingency plans held by the companies running the exploration activities and eventual geothermal exploitation in Chile should be done.  It needs to be confirmed that the companies in question have available the required equipment and expert personal to expediate the resolution of any possible complication which could arise from their activities.

Analyze is any rights and/or treaty have been infringed upon.  Determine who are those responsible and apply the corresponding penalties.

The permissions for exploration by Conama and the National Geothermal Company S.A. (Conama a la Empresa Nacional de Geotermia S.A.) should be reevaluated.

We demand that, while these investigations are being carried out, that all exploration activities by the National Geothermal Company (Empresa Nacional de Geotermia S.A.) in the affected zone be paralyzed.

Establish once and for all a legal comprehensive protective status for the Tatio Geyser Field and the surrounding geothermal reserves.

Declare that the old wells made by CORFO in the Geyser field present a dormant threat to the area’s ecosystem.  We ask that these wells and installations are closed and removed definitively and safely to avoid future accidents.

The suppose that the justification for the intervention in the geothermal reservoir feeding the Geyser is because of the energy crisis.  The energy which this project will supposedly contribute to the Norte Grande Energy Net is 1.1%

Installed capacity SIC Norte Grande (year 2006): 3,595.8MW

Generation and eventual explotation inTatio: 40 MW

Percentage of energy contributed by Tatio to SIC Norte Grande: 1.1%

We consider that this insignificant contribution does not justify, in any form, that the habitants, the ecosystem and the natural heritage of this area in the II Region are put at risk.

The following researchers and scientists are available to receive your questions and concerns.  The following is a list of their E-mail contacts:

“Stuart Simmons” <sf.simmons@auckland.ac.nz>

“Ronald Keam” <r.keam@auckland.ac.nz>

“Colin Harvey” <C.Harvey@gns.cri.nz>

“Alan Glennon” <glennon@umail.ucsb.edu>