Virginia Administrative Code › Title 4 - CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES › Agency 25 - DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY › Chapter 150 - VIRGINIA GAS AND OIL REGULATION › Part I - Standards of General Applicability › Article 5 - Technical Standards › Section 4VAC25-150-420 - Disposal of pit and produced fluids

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. Applicability. All fluids from a well,
					 pipeline or corehole shall be handled in a properly constructed pit, tank or
					 other type of container approved by the director.
A permittee shall not dispose of fluids from a well,
						pipeline or corehole until the director has approved the permittee's plan for
						permanent disposal of the fluids. Temporary storage of pit or produced fluids
						is allowed with the approval of the director. Other fluids shall be disposed of
						in accordance with the operations plan approved by the director.
B. Application and plan. The
					 permittee shall submit an application for either on-site or off-site permanent
					 disposal of fluids on a form prescribed by the director. Maps and a narrative
					 describing the method to be used for permanent disposal of fluids must
					 accompany the application if the permittee proposes to land apply any fluids on
					 the permitted site. The application, maps, and narrative shall become part of
					 the permittee's operations plan.
C.
					 Removal of free fluids. Fluids shall be removed from the pit to the extent
					 practical so as to leave no free fluids. In the event that there are no free
					 fluids for removal, the permittee shall report this on the form provided by the
					 director.
D. On-site disposal. The
					 following standards for on-site land application of fluids shall be met:
1. Fluids to be land-applied shall meet the
					 parameters listed in the Department of Environmental Quality's "Ground water
					 criteria," (9VAC25-280-70 ), following
					 criteria:
Acidity: <alkalinity
Alkalinity: >acidity
Chlorides: <5,000 mg/l
Iron: <7 mg/l
Manganese: <4 mg/l
Oil and Grease:<15 mg/l
pH: 6-9 Standard Units
Sodium Balance: SAR of 8-12
2. Land application of fluids shall be
					 confined to the permitted area.
3.
					 Fluids shall be applied in a manner which will not cause erosion or runoff. The
					 permittee shall take into account site conditions such as slope, soils and
					 vegetation when determining the rate and volume of land application on each
					 site. As part of the application narrative, the permittee shall show the
					 calculations used to determine the maximum rate of application for each
					 site.
4. Fluid application shall
					 not be conducted when the ground is saturated, snow-covered or
					 frozen.
5. The following buffer
					 zones shall be maintained unless a variance has been granted by the director:
a. Fluid shall not be applied closer than 25
					 feet from highways or property lines not included in the acreage shown in the
					 permit.
b. Fluid shall not be
					 applied closer than 50 feet from surface watercourses, wetlands, natural rock
					 outcrops, or sinkholes.
c. Fluid
					 shall not be applied closer than 100 feet from water supply wells or
					 springs.
6. The
					 permittee shall monitor vegetation for two years after the last fluid has been
					 applied to a site. If any adverse effects are found, the permittee shall report
					 the adverse effects in writing to the division.
7. The director may require monitoring of
					 groundwater quality on sites used for land application of fluids to determine
					 if the groundwater has been degraded.