16 Tex. Admin. Code § 4.111 - [Effective 7/1/2025] Authorized Disposal Methods for Certain Wastes

(a) Water condensate. A person may, without a permit, dispose of by land application water which has been condensed from natural gas and collected at gas pipeline drip stations or gas compressor stations. The disposal is authorized provided:

(1) the disposal is not a discharge to surface water and the waste will not reach surface water;

(2) prior to each land application event, representative samples are collected and analyzed for the list of parameters in the figure in this subsection;

(3) analytical methods used are documented and all parameters are in mg/liter unless otherwise specified;

(4) analyte concentrations do not exceed the concentration limits listed in the figure in this subsection;

(5) the water condensate is applied to the ground surface in such a manner that it will not leave the boundaries of the property; and

(6) the area where the water condensate will be land applied is at least 500 feet from a public water system well or intake, and 300 feet from any surface water or residential or irrigation water supply well.

Attached Graphic

(b) Inert oil and gas wastes. A person may, without a permit, dispose of inert oil and gas wastes on the property on which the waste was generated provided disposal is by a method other than:

(1) disposal into surface water; or

(2) a method that may present other health and safety hazards such as burning.

(c) Low chloride water-based drilling fluid. A person may, without a permit, dispose of the following oil and gas wastes by landfarming: water-based drilling fluids with a chloride concentration of 3,000 mg/liter or less; drill cuttings, sands, and silts obtained while using water-based drilling fluids with a chloride concentration of 3,000 mg/liter or less; and wash water used for cleaning drill pipe and other equipment at the well site. The disposal is authorized in accordance with the following:

(1) the waste is landfarmed on the same lease or unit, easement, or right-of-way where it was generated;

(2) the person has obtained written permission to landfarm the waste from the surface owner of the area to be landfarmed;

(3) the slope of the area to be landfarmed is three percent or less, or any greater slope is approved in writing by the District Director;

(4) the area where the waste will be landfarmed is at least 500 feet from a public water system well or intake, 300 feet from any surface water or other types of wells, and in an area with subsurface water at depths of more than 100 feet below land surface;

(5) any accumulation of hydrocarbons on top of the waste to be landfarmed is removed from the waste prior to spreading;

(6) the waste to be landfarmed has a pH of not less than six nor more than nine standard units;

(7) the waste is spread evenly and in a manner that will not result in a depth of greater than six inches of solids or six inches of fluids (six inches over an acre = 5,172 barrels/acre);

(8) the waste is spread in a manner that will not result in pooling, ponding, or runoff of the waste and the waste is then disked into the soil as necessary to distribute the waste within the soil;

(9) immediately after landfarming the waste, the waste-soil mixture has an electrical conductivity that does not exceed the background level for undisturbed soil established before landfarm activities commenced or four millimhos/centimeter, whichever is greater; and

(10) immediately after landfarming the waste, the waste-soil mixture has a total petroleum hydrocarbon content of one percent or less by weight when sampled using EPA SW-846 418.1 or equivalent.

(d) Other oil and gas wastes. A person may, without a permit, dispose of the following oil and gas wastes by burial in a reserve pit or a completion/workover pit: solids from dewatered drilling mud and fluids generated during well drilling, completion, and workover activities, including drill cuttings, sand, silt, paraffin, and debris. The disposal is authorized provided:

(1) the wastes are disposed of at the same well site where they are generated;

(2) the wastes are dewatered;

(3) the burial complies with the closure requirements for authorized pits pursuant to § 4.114 of this title (relating to Schedule A Authorized Pits); and

(4) the operator maintains documentation demonstrating closure requirements have been met. The operator shall maintain these records for at least three years from the date of closure and provide copies of these records to the Commission upon request.

Notes

16 Tex. Admin. Code § 4.111

Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 50, Number 01, January 3, 2025, TexReg 0070, eff. 7/1/2025