312 IAC 29-21-4 - Land application of water-based drilling and completion fluids and drill cuttings
Authority: IC 14-10-2-4; IC 14-37-3
Affected: IC 14-37
Sec. 4.
(a) The owner
or operator shall comply with the requirements of this section for land
application of fresh water-based drilling and completion fluid
wastes.
(b) The land application
site for drilling and completion fluid waste must meet the following
requirements:
(1) To the extent practical,
land application shall occur on lands previously disturbed by well site
construction and drilling operations.
(2) Unless authorization is obtained from the
division director under subsection (e) when land application is not practical
under subdivision (1), the land application site shall be within the boundary
of:
(A) the drilling unit associated with the
well that is drilled;
(B) a
communitization agreement or pooling declaration associated with the well that
is drilled; or
(C) a waterflood
unit associated with the well that is drilled.
(3) The land application site shall be
located at least:
(A) one hundred (100) feet
from any water well;
(B) one
hundred (100) feet from any stream, pond, lake, or other surface water body;
and
(C) fifty (50) feet from any
unleased property line.
(c) Land application shall not be performed:
(1) during a precipitation event or on
occasions when precipitation is likely to occur before the wastes are absorbed
or can be incorporated into the soil;
(2) on lands with saturated soils or where
water is ponding on the surface;
(3) at any times other than during daylight
hours;
(4) in a manner that allows
ponding of the drilling or completion fluid waste or allows the discharge of
drilling or completion fluid waste into surface waters, ditches, or other
drainage ways; or
(5) unless an
authorized representative of the well owner or operator is present at the time
of land application to ensure compliance with this section.
(d) Only water-based drilling and
completion fluid wastes meeting the following criteria may be land applied:
(1) Chloride shall be less than one thousand
(1,000) milligrams per liter.
(2)
Total dissolved solids shall be less than one thousand five hundred (1,500)
milligrams per liter.
(3) pH shall
be greater than 6.5 and less than 9.0.
(4) No visible sheen shall be present on the
drilling or completion fluid waste prior to land application.
(e) If the site for proposed land
application of wastes is not located within an area provided in subsection
(b)(1), the well owner or operator may apply to the division for authorization
to land apply water based drilling and completion fluid wastes on the alternate
site. The application shall be on a form prescribed by the division that shall
include, at a minimum, the following information:
(1) A copy of written permission to the land
application of wastes from the landowner of the alternate site.
(2) A map or diagram showing the proposed
application area and a demonstration that the site meets the requirements of
subsection (b).
(3) An estimate of
the volume of waste material to be land applied and a demonstration that the
waste meets the requirements of subsection (d).
(f) Upon finding the application for an
alternate disposal site meets the requirements of this section, the division
shall approve the application. The authorization shall be valid for a period of
ninety (90) days.
(g) Within thirty
(30) days following the conclusion of land farming operations under this
section, the owner or operator shall file with the division a report including
the following information:
(1) A map or
diagram showing the location of the area of land used for land application of
the wastes.
(2) The total volume of
waste disposed of at this location.
Notes
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