Hydrology of the Pastaza Basin An Oil Spill Risk Assessment In the Peruvian Amazon by Anne Mariah Tapp
Study Area
Northern Peruvian Oil Pipeline Constructed 1974 and not maintained Transports 5400 m3/day of heavy crude oil Project Goal- Use ArcGIS and ArcHydro to determine : The areas potentially impacted by a break in the pipeline The travel time of the oil to the impacted locations
Source Data-WaterGAP Model Rainfall-Runoff Model Stream Network and Catchments Delineated Worldwide from 30m resolution DEMs .5° Resolution Assumes velocity of 1 m/s for ALL water-bodies Provides discharge data (m3/s) for each stream segment.
Waterbodies in the Pastaza Basin Whitewater River- Pastaza Blackwater Tributary-Huasaga
Comparison of Stream Profiles Main Pastaza Channel and Tributaries Range of velocities for points along the main Pastaza 2.4 to 0.6 (m/s) Range of velocities (m/s) for measured tributaries -1.3 to 0.6 (m/s)
Comparison of Discharge Calculated by Different Methods
Methods Calculate total stream length from pipeline Assume oil flows with water Create geometric network and set flow direction Trace downstream from potential break sites Calculate travel time (days) by dividing velocity (meters/day) by length (meters).
Remaining Work Evaluate behavior of heavy crude oil Possibility of Evaporation and Precipitation Tailor model to reflect this behavior Currently model assumes travel with water. An inaccurate method of modeling oil However, provides a basic risk assessment.