2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.6 - Health Protection Zones › Section 3284.

3284. (a) Before commencing any work that requires a notice of intention under Section 3203 in the health protection zone, the operator shall contact property owners and tenants within a 3,200-foot radius of the wellhead in writing with a record of delivery and offer to sample and test water wells or surface water on their property before and after drilling.
(b) The operator shall contact property owners and tenants as specified in subdivision (a) at least 30 days before commencing drilling. If a property owner or tenant requests sampling and testing of a water well or surface water, drilling may not commence until a baseline water sample has been collected, provided that the owner’s or tenant’s request is delivered in writing with a record of delivery to the operator within 20 days from the date notice is provided and the surface property owner makes necessary accommodations to enable the collection of a water sample within 10 days from the date notice is provided. The operator shall collect a followup water sample no sooner than 30 days, and no later than 60 days, after drilling is complete. The costs of sampling and testing required under this section shall be borne by the operator.
(c) Before commencing drilling in the health protection zone, the operator shall provide to the division documentation of the effort to identify and notify property owners and tenants as required.
(d) The operator shall conduct water sampling and testing, both baseline and followup, pursuant to this section, in accordance with all of the following requirements:
(1) Water quality sampling shall be conducted by appropriately qualified personnel in a manner consistent with standard environmental industry practice and chain of custody protocols. Documentation of the sampling process shall accurately describe the location that the sample was taken from and the process for collecting the sample.
(2) Water quality analytical testing shall be performed by a laboratory that has been accredited under the State Water Resources Control Board’s Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program to perform the tests necessary to complete the required analysis under this subdivision, except for those tests labeled as field tests, that may be conducted by any person qualified to sample and interpret the results of the required test.
(3) (A) Water quality testing shall include baseline measurements before the commencement of the drilling, and followup measurements after drilling is completed.
(B) Liquid analysis required under this subdivision shall include testing for all of the following: total dissolved solids; total petroleum hydrocarbon as crude oil; major cations (Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, Mn, Sr, B); major anions (CI, SO4, HCO3, CO3, Br, I, NO3); any constituents listed in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 66261.24 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations; radionuclides; appropriate indicator chemicals for drilling mud and fluids used for well cleanout; total alkalinity and hydroxide; electrical conductance; pH; and temperature.
(C) The division or the regional water quality control board may require testing for additional constituents on a case-by-case basis.
(4) Within 120 days after drilling in the health protection zone is complete, the results of any baseline and followup water quality testing shall be provided by the operator to the division, the appropriate regional water quality control board, the State Water Resources Control Board, the surface property owner, and the requesting tenant.
(5) The appropriate regional water quality control board shall be notified at least five working days before collecting a sample under this section so that regional water quality control board staff may witness the sampling.
(6) Water quality data collected under this section shall be submitted to the State Water Resources Control Board and the appropriate regional water quality control board in an electronic format that follows the guidelines detailed in Chapter 30 (commencing with Section 3890) of Division 3 of Title 23 of the California Code of Regulations within 120 days after drilling is complete.
(7) If the property owner or tenant is unable to provide the necessary access to perform baseline or followup testing under this section, then failure to do the testing is not a violation of this section. The division may waive the requirements of this section if the operator demonstrates that the delay in well work associated with the requirements of this section is likely to result in significant damage to life, health, or natural resources. The operator is not required to sample or test water under this section if the relevant authorities have determined that the water is not an underground source of drinking water, as defined in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300f et. seq.), and the water has no beneficial uses, in accordance with subdivision (f) of Section 13050 of the Water Code.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 365, Sec. 2. (SB 1137) Effective date (January 1, 2023) suspended pursuant to referendum petition. Effective only if Ch. 365 is approved as a referendum measure at the November 5, 2024, election.)