ABSTRACT
This chapter presents some preliminary guidelines to minimize the environmental impact of wastes generated by the natural gas industry during hydrostatic testing of transmission pipelines. Application of standard petrochemical wastewater treatment technology to the control of wastes generated during hydrostatic testing is limited to instances when wastewater facilities are relatively close to the point of discharge. The New Mexico Environmental Improvement Division has conducted a chemical characterization study of spent test waters from a processed natural gas pipeline. The major source of contamination in spent hydrostatic waters from existing pipelines is the accumulated product carried in the line over past years of operation. Hydrostatic testing of natural gas pipelines is one of the most popular means for leak detection since it offers the additional advantage of removing obstructions in the pipeline. Volume minimization is typically the simplest and most economical waste management practice for any type of industrial waste.
