Oklahoma Corporation 

Commission

Underground Injection Control Program

UIC 

165:10-5-1 through 165:10-5-15
Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act 

(SDWA) in 1974 to protect underground 

sources of drinking water in the from 

injection wells.
Oklahoma has Primacy

• OCC regulates the Class II

• ODEQ regulates Class I and III

• Class V well program is split between the 

OCC and ODEQ
EPA Regulates These UIC Wells

• Indian Nations except Five Civilized Tribes

• Osage County

Technical Staff Reviews 

• Proper construction and cementing

• Injection rates and pressures

• Area of review – no pathways to surface.
AOR 

supplied 

by 

operator
Filing Operator-Notice

• Given to disposal well and producing well operators in the area

• Given to landowners

• Must be published in a news paper of general circulation in the 

local county and in Oklahoma County
Timing 

• 15 days and 30 day protest period

• Protested – Hearing is set

• Un-protested – Administrative approval
Court Hearing

• Hearing is set before an Administrative Law 

Judge – ALJ

• All evidence and testimony.

• The ALJ writes recommendations to the 

Commissioners. 

• Commissioners recommends or denies 

report.
Mechanical Integrity

• Noncommercial wells tested at least 

once every 5 years.

•Commercial wells tested once a year
Rule Changes - 2014

165:10-5-7(b)(3)(B) Required Monitoring.

On a daily basis, the operator of each well 

authorized for disposal into the Arbuckle 

formation shall monitor and record the volumes, 

the casing tubing annulus pressure and the surface 

injection pressure for the well. The operator must 

maintain the information required by this 

subparagraph for a minimum of three years. This 

information shall be produced upon request by an 

authorized representative of the Commission.
Policy Statement

Oklahoma has been and is a seismically 

active state. However, seismologists agree 

that – based on the limited data available –

the recent increase in seismic activity is 

very unusual.
Near Term Disposal Requirements:
Adoption of the “traffic light” system as recommended 

by the National Academy of Sciences. Using the latest 

data, staff reviews proposed disposal wells for 

proximity to faults, seismicity in the area, and other 

factors in determining whether the wells should be 

permitted, permitted only with special restrictions and 

requirements, or not permitted. The system is also 

applied to existing wells in seismically active areas. 
For existing wells, issues that may once have been 

considered minor now must be addressed immediately, 

even if that requires well shut-down. 
For those wells injecting into the state’s deepest 

formation (the Arbuckle), any question regarding the 

well’s actual depth must be addressed using modern 

technology to determine true depth. Any issue with 

depth must be corrected before restart, and permission 

for restart must be received from the oil and gas 

division
Daily volume and pressure recording is required of 

wells in “yellow light”areas. 

•
New rules that take effect September 12, 2014 will 

increase pressure and volume recording requirements 

for disposal wells that dispose into the Arbuckle 

formation (the state’s deepest injection formation). 
Under the new rules, Mechanical Integrity Tests for 

wells disposing of volumes of 20,000 barrels a day or 

more will increase from once every five years to every 

year, or more often if so directed by the Commission.
The designated “area of interest” around earthquakes 

of magnitude 4.0 or greater has been expanded to 10 

kilometers (6 miles). All disposal well operations within 

that area are examined.
Three Options

165:10-7-24(b) 

(1) Produced Water: Options 1, 7, & 9 
Disposal Options

(1)Reclaim and/or recycle

(7) Underground injection (in accordance with 

165:10-5-1 through 165:10-5-14

(9) Discharge in accordance with 165:10-7-17
Options #1

(1)Reclaim and/or recycle

165:10-9-4. Commercial recycling facilities

If hydrocarbons are also recycled follow 

10-8-1 through 10-8-11

- Get a Tax Id Number
Option #7

(7) Underground injection - in accordance 

with 165:10-5-1 through 165:10-5-14
Option #9

(9) Discharge (in accordance with 165:10-7-17).

165:10-7-17(d)-(i)

-Surface discharge of fluids

-TSS/TDS limit 5,000 mg/l

-Oil & Grease limit 1,000 mg/l

-Keep records of discharge 3 years

-Other requirements
Which is Best for You?

Option Down Side

• Recycling Low Volume

• Injection Availability

• Surface Discharge Land and Paperwork