A. The
Commission, upon notice and hearing,
may authorize the following activities:
(1)
Operations to increase ultimate recovery, such as cycling of gas, maintenance
of pressure, and the introduction of gas, water, or other substances into a
producing formation;
(2) The
disposal of saltwater and oil-field wastes; and
(3) Underground storage of hydrocarbons.
All injection wells associated with any such activities shall be
classified as Class II wells. All Class II wells must be permitted and operated
in accordance with the following paragraphs.
B. Fluids injected into Class II well shall
be stored, transported and injected in such a manner as may be approved by the
Commission. Underground injection that causes or allows movement of fluid into
an underground source of drinking water is prohibited, unless the underground
source of drinking water is an exempted aquifer.
C. Immediately following the initiation of
production in any field or pool, all saltwater shall be disposed of into an
approved underground formation or otherwise disposed of as approved by the
Commission where such saltwater can not damage or pollute underground sources
of drinking water, oil, gas, or other minerals.
D. Injection wells may be drilled for the
purpose of Class II operations or existing wells may be converted to injection
wells. Class II wells shall be completed in a manner that will insure injection
into zones approved by the Commission.
E. Wells drilled or converted for injection
purposes shall be properly constructed to prevent the loss of injected fluids
into any zone not approved by the Commission. The surface casing of all Class
II wells shall be seated in an aquiclude below the deepest USDW and shall be
grouted from the base of the surface casing to the ground surface. All Class II
wells shall be completed with a long string of casing that shall be properly
cemented with neat Portland cement at a sufficient depth to adequately protect
the oil-bearing stratum. Casing shall be cemented in place with a sufficient
amount of cement to fill the annular space to a point at least five hundred
(500) feet above either the top of the injection interval, or the top of the
casing shoe, to be determined by the Commission. Cement shall be allowed to
stand a total of eighteen (18) hours before pressure testing.
F. The casing shall be tested at a pressure
in pounds per square inch (psi), calculated by multiplying the depth (in feet)
of the mid-point of the injection interval by two-tenths ( 2/10 ) or any other
pressure required by the Commission. The maximum test pressure required shall
not exceed fifteen hundred (1,500) pounds per square inch. If, at the end of
thirty (30) minutes, the pressure gauge shows a drop of ten percent (10%) of
the test pressure of more, such corrective measures shall be taken as will
insure that the long string of casing is so set and cemented that it will hold
the pressure for thirty (30) minutes without a drop of more than ten percent
(10%) of the test pressure of the gauge. Cement-bond logs or temperature logs
shall be run to verify the gauge. Cement-bond logs or temperature logs shall be
run to verify the seal on all wells drilled or converted for injection
purposes.
G. All injections shall
be through tubing anchored by a packer unless otherwise approved by the
commission. The injection of fluids into an underground source of drinking
water containing fluids of less than 10,000 milligrams per liter total
dissolved solids is hereby prohibited, unless it can be demonstrated before the
Commission after notice and hearing that the disposal zone has no use as a
drinking water source due to contamination of the zone or other reasons. The
injection of fluids into the annular space between strings of casing is
prohibited, except as may be approved by the Commission.
H. Application for permits for Class II wells
shall be considered as a two-step process. An applicant seeking the
Commission's approval for the injection of fluids as described in paragraphs B
through H above shall submit the following and any additional information as
may be required by the
Commission.
(1) Step 1:
(a) Well permit forms for the drilling or
conversion of a well for injection purposes;
(b) A plat showing the location and surface
elevation of the proposed injection well; all other injection wells; all water
wells; and the location of all oil and gas wells, including abandoned wells and
dry holes within one-fourth ( 1/4 ) mile of the proposed injection well. Such
plat shall be drawn to a scale of one inch to five hundred feet and shall show
distance from the proposed well to the nearest lease lines;
(c) A tabulation of well data for all wells
within the review area which penetrate the proposed injection zone or, in the
case of Class II wells operating over the fracture pressure of the injection
formation, all known wells within the area of review which penetrate formations
affected by the increase in pressure (to include depth, elevation, well
construction and plugging data);
(d) A cross section illustrating detailed
geologic structure and formation, lithology, and physical characteristics of
the general area;
(e) A list of the
following geologic and physical characteristics of the injection interval and
confining formation:
1) Thickness;
2) Areal extent;
3) Lithology;
4) Porosity;
5) Permeability;
6) Storativity;
7) Location, extent, and effects of known or
suspected faulting, fracturing, and natural solution channels;
8) Formation and fluid pressure;
and
9) Fracturing
gradients;
(f) A list of
the following engineering data:
1) Diameter of
the hole, and the total depth of the well;
2) Type, size, weight and strength of all
casing strings;
3) Specifications
and proposed installation of tubing and packers;
4) Proposed cementing procedures and type of
cement;
5) Proposed artificial
fracturing or stimulation program;
6) Plans of the surface and subsurface
construction details of the system including engineering drawings and
specifications;
7) Plans for
monitoring;
8) Expected changes in
pressure, rate of native fluid displacement by injection fluid, direction and
extent of dispersion of the injected fluid; and
9) Contingency plans to cope with all shut
ins or well failures in a manner that will obviate any environmental
degradation;
(g) A
complete electric and/or gamma log through the injection zone of the injection
well, or if an injection well is to be drilled, a complete electric and/or
gamma log through the injection zone from a nearby well. Such log shall be
annotated to identify the estimated greatest depth of an USDW; significant
aquicludes, and the injection formation;
(h) A statement specifying the proposed
source of injection fluids and chemical constituents of the proposed fluids to
be injected and the fluids in the injection zone (if an analysis of the water
in the proposed injection zone is not available such application shall include
a determination of the chlorides by accepted log interpretation methods. Such
data used in that calculation and the calculation shall be included in the
application), a statement specifying any proposed treatment of the injected
fluids;
(i) The estimated minimum
and maximum amount of fluids to be injected daily and anticipated injection
pressures with resultant and anticipated bottom hole pressures and the known or
calculated fracturing pressure of the injection zone. All determinations
included in this application shall be supported by basic data and calculations;
and
(j) Proof of public
notification as set forth in Paragraph R below.
(2) Step 2:
(a) Permit application for the injection of
fluids;
(b) A schematic diagram of
the surface injection system and its appurtenances;
(c) A revised well-bore sketch containing the
information requested in Step 1(f)(1) and 1(f)(7) above or a statement
verifying that the well-bore sketch submitted in Step 1(f)(7) is accurate and
unchanged; and the method and results of casing tests before use of the
injection well;
(d) A complete
electric and/or gamma log through the injection zone of the injection well
annotated to identify the estimated greatest depth of an USDW, significant
aquicludes, and the injection formation unless previously submitted in Step
1;
(e) An affidavit specifying the
source of injected fluids, an analysis of the fluids to be injected and the
fluids in the injection zone, and a statement specifying any proposed treatment
of the injected fluids.
I. In reviewing an application for a permit
to drill a Class II injection
well, the extent of the area of review
surrounding the
well shall be 1/4 mile, unless otherwise determined by the
Commission after consideration of the following:
(1) Hydrogeology of the area;
(2) Population density;
(3) Ground-water use;
(4) Previous disposal within the
area;
(5) Proposed well
construction;
(6) Physical and
chemical characteristics of the injection fluids; and
(7) Injection volume, rate, and
pressure.
J. Application
for Class II permits shall be submitted in writing to the Commission in
accordance with Paragraph H above. Conceptual approval may be granted by the
Commission after submittal and consideration of the information required under
Section H(1) above (Step 1). Approval to inject fluids may be granted by the
Commission after submittal and consideration of the information required under
Section H(2) above (Step 2).
K. The
operator may apply for a fieldwide permit for injection wells for enhancement
of oil and gas production, or for pressure maintenance. Such fieldwide
application shall include all of the information required by Paragraph H above.
If a permit has been issued for a fieldwide injection program, the operator
will be required on each injection well, whether it be drilled or converted, to
submit in an application the information required under H(1)(b), H(1)(f),
H(2)(a), H(2)(b), and H(2)(c) above.
L. Applications for permits to inject fluids
(Step 2) shall be approved or rejected by the
Commission on the basis of the
information provided in accordance with Paragraph H above in conjunction with a
thorough evaluation of the endangering influences posed by any defective wells
that may exist within the area of review. In the event a defective well is
determined to exist within the area of review, the applicant shall submit to
the
Commission a plan for corrective action with the permit application. If the
Commission determines that the plan is inadequate, the
Commission shall require
the applicant to revise the plan, prescribe a plan to be a condition of the
permit, or deny the permit application. In determining the adequacy of such
plan and any additional corrective actions needed to prevent the movement of
fluids into or between underground sources of drinking water, the following
factors shall be considered by the
Commission:
(1) Formation characteristics of each
formation penetrated, including porosity and permeability;
(2) Volume of injected fluids;
(3) Chemical composition of the injection
fluids;
(4) Chemical composition of
the formation fluids of the injection zone;
(5) Previous injection activities within the
area; and
(6) Construction and
plugging records of the defective
well(s).
The Commission may require, as a part of corrective action, that
injection pressure of the injection zone be so limited that pressure in the
injection zone does not exceed the hydrostatic pressure at the site of any
defective well(s). If corrective action is determined to be unfeasible, the
Commission may reject the application or conditionally approve the application
subject to stated constraints which will minimize the risk of fluid migration
from the injection zone. In all cases, injection of fluids shall not begin
until such approval is obtained.
M. A permit shall expire one (1) year from
the date of issuance of same if no fluids have been injected, unless otherwise
approved by the Commission.
N. The
well shall be operated at all times so that mechanical integrity and
injectivity of the injection operation can be verified and determined. The
well
shall be equipped so the injection rate, injection pressure, and tubing-casing
annulus pressure data may be recorded for each
well. All injection wells will
be subject to a five (5) year review for mechanical integrity.
The operator of any Class II well shall submit to the
Commission;
(1) Injection-volume,
injection-pressure, and tubing-casing annulus pressure data for each
well
monthly. The injected volumes shall be recorded weekly for produced fluids
disposal operations, monthly for enhanced recovery operations, and daily for
other types of operations involving Class II wells. The information for each
month shall be submitted to the
Commission in an annual report by March 1 each
year for the preceding calendar year.
A chemical analysis of the injected fluids shall be submitted by
the first day of January of each year following initial approval. The
Commission may extend the period of time between analyses upon receipt and
approval of justification.
O. The permittee shall be responsible for
maintaining surface equipment to be used in the event of malfunction, including
rapid shutoff and standby facilities. The permittee shall maintain records of
all shut-in periods when contingency measures are used, and shall file such
records with the Commission.
P. The
operator of any
Class II well shall, in addition to submitting the data
required under N(1) and N(2), maintain the following and any additional
monitoring records as may be required by the Commission:
(1) All calibration and maintenance records
and all original strip chart recordings for continuous monitoring
instrumentation;
(2) Injection and
tubing-casing annulus pressure data recorded on a daily or weekly basis and
copies of the reports submitted to the Commission; and
(3) Nature and composition of injection
fluids.
Q. All records
of monitoring activities shall include for all samples:
(1) The date, place and time of
sampling;
(2) The dates analyses
were performed;
(3) Who performed
the analyses;
(4) The analytical
techniques/methods;
(5) The result
of such analyses.
R. In
order to afford the public an opportunity to participate in the permitting
process for any of the above described wells the following shall apply:
(1) The applicant for a permit shall cause to
be placed in a newspaper having general circulation in the county in which the
proposed Class II well is located, a notice setting forth the details of the
permit sought, and the Commission is to be provided proof of publication of
such notice;
(2) The notice shall
provide an adequate description of the proposed action and a description of the
location of the proposed well, and the notice shall be placed one time in the
newspaper at least 15 days prior to the date that the Commission may approve
the permit;
(3) The notice shall
state that interested parties may obtain additional information concerning the
proposed well from the South Carolina Water Resources Commission;
(4) The notice shall state that a public
hearing may be requested by any interested party at any time during the 15 day
comment period;
(5) If no public
hearing has been requested at the expiration of the 15 day period, and if the
permit application meets all of the requirements of the herein above rule, the
Commission may grant the permit; and
(6) If there are requests for a public
hearing and in the opinion of the Commission the requests are justified, the
Commission will publish a notice for public hearing. The application for the
Class II well will either be granted, denied, or modified by the Commission
after the hearing.
S.
The operator of any Class II well shall immediately notify the Commission in
the event of any mechanical or downhole problems resulting from the operation
of the well which may endanger an underground source of drinking
water.
T. A permit for a
Class II
well may be modified, suspended, or revoked in whole or in part during its term
for cause including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) The underground injection endangers
underground drinking water sources;
(2) Violation of any material terms or
conditions of the permit;
(3)
Obtaining a permit by misrepresentation or failure to disclose fully all
relevant facts; or
(4) A change in
any condition that may indicate failure of the underground injection
system.
U. Modifications
of the permit can only be made after notice in writing to and approval of the
Commission. Significant modifications, as determined by the Commission, will
require the operator to publish notice in accordance with Paragraph R above
prior to obtaining the Commission's approval.
V. The owner and operator of any Class II
injection well shall be jointly and severally liable and responsible for the
plugging thereof in accordance with these rules.
W. Notification of intention to plug any
Class II injection well shall be given to the Commission at least fifteen (15)
days prior to the commencement of plugging operations.
X. Each plugging operation for a Class II
injection well may be witnessed by a representative of the Commission. A report
of the plugging operation shall be submitted by the owner or operator of the
well to the Commission within thirty (30) days after the well has been
plugged.
Y. The methods and
procedures for plugging a Class II injection
well shall be as follows:
(1) The well shall be filled from the bottom
to the top with a mud-laden fluid weighing at least 9.0 pounds per gallon, with
not less than thirty-six (36) viscosity API full funnel method;
(2) Each injection zone shall be sealed off
with a cement plug which will extend either from the bottom of the hole or from
a point twenty-five (25) feet below the base of the injection zone to a point
at least fifty (50) feet above the top of each injection zone;
(3) Each production zone shall be sealed off
with a cement plug which will extend either from the bottom of the hole or from
a point twenty-five (25) feet below the base of the production zone to a point
at least fifty (50) feet above the top of each production zone;
(4) All underground sources of drinking water
shall be sealed off with a cement plug of a length not less than fifty (50)
feet which will extend from a point not less than twenty-five (25) feet below
the base of the surface string of casing to a point at least twenty-five (25)
feet above the base of the surface string of casing;
(5) A cement plug shall be placed from the
surface and extend to a depth of thirty (30) feet; and
(6) The interval between plugs shall be
filled with a mud-laden fluid weighing at least 9.0 pounds per gallon, with not
less than thirty-six (36) viscosity API full funnel method.
Z. The permittee shall during
normal working hours allow the
Commission or its authorized representative to:
(1) Enter the permitee's premises in which
injection source or system is located and in which any records are required to
be kept under terms and conditions of the permit;
(2) Have access to and copy records required
to be kept under terms and conditions of the permit;
(3) Inspect the permittee's facilities,
including any monitoring equipment or analytical devices;
(4) Sample any fluids being injected and the
fluids of the injection zone.
AA. Before any
person shall be granted a
permit to drill an underground injection well, such
person shall file with the
Commission a performance bond in accordance with Section
121-8.6.