Oklahoma Administrative Code › Title 165 - Corporation Commission › Chapter 10 - Oil And Gas Conservation › Subchapter 7 - Pollution Abatement › Part 3 - STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF FLUIDS › Section 165:10-7-19 - Land application of water-based fluids from earthen pits, tanks and pipeline construction

Current through Vol. 41, No. 20, July 1, 2024
(a)
Authority for land application.
No person shall land apply fluids
				  except as provided by
				  165:10-9-2,
				  165:10-7-17,
				  or this Section. Any operator failing to obtain a permit may be fined up to
				  $2,000. The land application permit shall be posted at the well site, pad or
				  pipeline construction location.
(b)
Scope.
This Section shall cover the land application of
				  water-based drilling fluids and cuttings from earthen pits, tanks, or other
				  containment structures; however, this Section shall not be exclusive of other
				  authorities for land application listed in (a) of this Section. Any land
				  application made under this Section shall be done from a single well, single
				  pad (containing multiple wells), or pipeline construction location. Permits
				  shall not be granted for lands that have been previously permitted and used for
				  these practices or similar practices such as soil remediation within the last
				  three (3) years.
(c)
Site
				  suitability restrictions.
Land application shall only occur on land
				  having all of the following characteristics below, as field verified by a soil
				  scientist or other qualified person pre-approved by the Commission. Any
				  variance from site suitability restrictions must be approved by the Oil and Gas
				  Conservation Division (see (f)(2)(C) of this Section).
(1)
Maximum slope.
A maximum
				  slope of eight percent for all application methods.
(2)
Depth to bedrock.
Depth to
				  bedrock must be at least 20 inches.
(3)
Soil texture.
A soil profile
				  (as defined by USDA soil surveys) containing at least twelve inches (may be
				  cumulative) of one of the following soil textures between the surface and the
				  water table, unless a documented impeding layer of shale is present: loam, silt
				  loam, silt, sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, sandy loam, fine sandy
				  loam, sandy clay, silty clay, or clay.
(4)
Salinity.
Slight salinity
				  [defined as Electrical Conductivity (EC) less than 4,000 micromhos/cm] in the
				  topsoil, or upper six inches of the soil, and a calculated Exchangeable Sodium
				  Percentage (ESP) less than 10.0.
(5)
Depth to water table.
No
				  evidence of a seasonal water table within six (6) feet of the soil surface as
				  verified by field observation and published data.
(6)
Distance from water bodies.
A minimum distance of 100 feet from the land application site boundary to any
				  perennial stream and 50 feet to any intermittent stream shown on the
				  appropriate United States Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) topographic map
				  (available for viewing at the Commission's Oklahoma City Office and appropriate
				  Conservation Division District Offices) and a minimum of 100 feet to any
				  freshwater pond, lake, or wetland. [Designated by the National Wetlands
				  Inventory Map Series, prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, available
				  for viewing at the Commission's Oklahoma City Office (also, see (h)(6) of this
				  Section)].
(7)
Site specific
				  concerns.
Void of slick spots within or adjacent to the land application
				  area, where subsurface lateral movement of water is unlikely, or areas void of
				  concentrated surface flow such as gullies or waterways.
(8)
Stockpiling of cuttings.
Stockpiling of cuttings may be used during the handling and transportation of
				  the cuttings both at the well and pipeline construction location and the
				  receiving site. At the well site or pad generating the waste or pipeline
				  construction location the cuttings must be placed in a steel pit or the areas
				  used for this practice must be lined and bermed. A stockpile of cuttings at the
				  receiving site must be located within the permitted area and the areas used for
				  this practice must be lined and bermed. The stockpile of cuttings, whether at
				  the well or pipeline construction location or the receiving site, must be
				  closed within 30 days of cessation of drilling operations.