# 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 divisionDaily 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