Ariz. Admin. Code § R9-7-1702 - Agreement with Well Owner or Operator

A. A licensee that performs wireline service (well logging) with a sealed source shall enter into a written agreement with the employing well owner or operator that identifies the party responsible for complying with each of the following requirements. The responsible party shall:

1. Make a reasonable effort to recover any sealed source that may be lodged in the well;

2. Not attempt to recover a sealed source in a manner which, in the licensee's opinion, is likely to result in its rupture;

3. Perform the radiation monitoring required in R9-7-1723(A);

4. Decontaminate anyone or anything contaminated with licensed material before releasing personnel or equipment from the site or releasing the site for unrestricted use; and

5. If a source is classified by the Department as irretrievable after reasonable efforts at recovery, implement the following requirements within 30 days:

a. Immobilize the irretrievable well logging source and seal it in place with a cement plug;

b. Provide a means to prevent inadvertent intrusion that could damage the source, unless the site is rendered inaccessible to subsequent drilling operations; and

c. Mount a permanent identification plaque, constructed of long-lasting material, such as stainless steel, brass, bronze, or Monel, in a conspicuous location adjacent to the well. The responsible party shall ensure that the plaque size is at least 17 cm (7 inches) square and 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick and the following information is written on the plaque:

i. The word "CAUTION,"

ii. The radiation symbol (the color requirement in R9-7-428(A) does not apply),

iii. The date the source was abandoned,

iv. The name of the well owner or operator that employedthe licensee;

v. The well name and identification number or other designation,

vi. An identification of each source by radionuclide and quantity of radionuclide,

vii. The depth of the source and depth to the top of the plug, and

viii. The following warning, "DO NOT RE-ENTER THIS WELL," and

d. Notify the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Department of Water Resources, or Department of Environmental Quality of the abandoned source, as requiredby law.

B. A licensee shall maintain a copy of the agreement at the field station during logging operations. The licensee shall retain a copy of the written agreement for three years after completion of the well logging operation.

C. A licensee may apply in accordance with A.R.S. § 30-654(B)(13) for Department approval, on a case-by-case basis, of proposed procedures to abandon an irretrievable well logging source in a manner not otherwise authorized in subsection (A)(5).

D. A written agreement between the licensee and the well owner or operator is not required if the licensee and the well owner or operator are employed by the same corporation or other business entity. If so, the licensee shall comply with the requirements in subsections (A)(1) through (A)(5).

Notes

Ariz. Admin. Code § R9-7-1702

New Section R9-7-1702 recodified from R12-1-1702 at 24 A.A.R. 813, effective March 22, 2018 (Supp. 18-1).