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A significant proportion of the expected oil reserves to be found and produced in Eastern Venezuela, are located on wetlands from the Orinoco River Delta (Monagas and Delta Amacuro States). These environments have complex hydraulic due to the confluence in a very flat topography of mayor drainage and confinements basins of the Orinoco River. Additional complexity is derived from a tidal system with back tides and varying tidal levels according to locations. Furthermore, previous studies have demonstrated that great extensions of these wetlands have several meters of peat accumulations, laid on top of sulphidic marine clays that can generate strong acidification problems if are drained and 1or exposed to oxidation. In order to solve this environmental constraints, allowing access without dredging and minimum perturbation of this substrates, a modular road concept was developed and tested in a swamp environment at the Caripito Oil Terminal (Monagas State), that uses a light concrete cylinder and other smaller components as building blocks. The cylinder of 860 Kg. and 0.7 m. of outer diameter has a length of 2.82m. An internal honeycomb structure allows for flotation. In order to test the concept a road of 50 m length was built using 270 cylinders placed over a swamp soil with a resistance of 0,18 Kg/cm2. A truck loaded with 100 ton. was passed over 110 times, and settling rates and road deformation was topographically measured. The road was subsequently dismounted and the cylinder inspected for fractures. No fractures were reported in any of the cylinders.

Expensive Environmental Data (ED) gathered in order to fulfill specific regulatory and permitting requirements is usually loose, unstructured and therefore difficult to analyze and use in Corporate Strategic Planning (CSP). Furthermore due to its purpose ED selection and gathering is seldom influenced by the ever increasing needs of CSP for reliable Environmental Information (EI) with a proper time and spatial frame. A framework to develop Environmental Information Models (EIM) that approaches this constraints and able to transform relevant Environmental Data into reliable Environmental Information is discussed. The framework is based on the previous efforts forwarded by Agencies like OECD and EPA to approach the development of EIM using meaningful categories of variables within each of the PSRE components and avoiding therefore the difficulties of Information Management based upon detailed and complex interaction models. The proposed framework also benefits from other approaches oriented to provide strategic Planning with additional measurements of Environmental direction and performance based on EIM. The framework is used to develop an EIM for the development of the oil resources to be found in Eastern Venezuela, as well as to provide proper Environmental Performance Measurements (EPM) suitable to CSP needs.

Effects of Single and / or Combined Application of Water and Oil Based Drill Cuttings in a Tropical Agricultural Soil Located in Jusepin Oil Field (Monagas State, Venezuela). Abstract At eastern Venezuela, the oil developments are established mainly in areas with agricultural and cattle arising activities. This compel to an effective and environmentally safe treatment for water (WB) and oil-based (OB) drill cuttings (DC), according to the Venezuelan regulations. In order to determine the effects of individual and combined applications of WS and OB in an acid soil (Ultisol), it was designed and installed on January 1997 a field test in the Jusepin Oil Field (Monagas State). In 9 plots of 0.7 ha. each one, were applied the following treatments (equivalent doses in m3/ha.): WB: 0,125, 250, 500; WB/OB: 90/72, 180/140, 360/280; and OB: 100, 200, 400. Then were applied an adjusted fertilization (N, P, S), complementary amendments and periodical tillage, to stimulate the hydrocarbons biodegradation (TPH). After a 87 days period, the TPH percentage in OB treatments (45.9 %) was smaller than WB/OB (53.3%). Due to the use of CaO at the output of solids control equipment as dryer for DC, sorne soils plots showed high Ca++ and pH, mainly at high DC doses (an over liming effect). Other soil and leacheates parameters (electric conductivity, Cl TPH and heavy metals), were found under the established limits by ad hoc environmental regulation (actually being reviewed). The 500 WB treatment shown both high soil fertility and grasses growth. The results show that is feasible the WB/OB application, being reduced the treatment area for the safe disposal of more than 2000 m3 DC by well.

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