The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site of east-central Eddy County, New Mexico is a system of underground excavations in the Salado Formation (Permian: Ochoan) at a depth of 2150 ft designed to demonstrate the safe disposal of low-level transuranic wastes. Sixteen one-mi2 sections of land known as the Land Withdrawal Area (LWA) have been withdrawn by the Federal government from non-WIPP uses to protect against inadvertent intrusion. Quantitative estimates were made of oil and natural gas resources beneath the LWA that are extensions of known, currently productive oil and gas pools (probable resources).
Several oil pools produce from Delaware (Permian: Guadalupian) sandstones along the eastern, southern, and western boundaries of the LWA. Reservoir depths are 7000 to 8000 ft. Probable oil and associated gas resources are 10.3 MMBO and 20.3 BCF gas recoverable through primary production and 6.2 MMBO recoverable through waterflooding.
Modest amounts of oil are produced from the Bone Spring Formation (Permian: Leonardian) southwest of the LWA. Probable resources at a depth of 11,000 ft are 444 KBO and 956 MMCF gas recoverable through primary production and 222 KBO recoverable through waterflooding.
Nonassociated gas and condensate are produced from Strawn (Pennsylvanian) carbonates along the western boundary of the LWA, an Atoka (Pennsylvanian) sandstone along the western and southern boundaries, and multiple Morrow (Pennsylvanian) sandstones along the western, southern, and eastern boundaries. Probable resources are 9.6 BCFG and 378 KBO in the Strawn, 123 BCFG and 1092 KBO in the Atoka, and 32 BCFG and 107 KBO in the Morrow.