16 Tex. Admin. Code § 4.114 - [Effective 7/1/2025] Schedule A Authorized Pits
Reserve pits, mud circulation pits, completion/workover pits, makeup water pits, fresh mining water pits, and water condensate pits are Schedule A authorized pits.
(1)
Schedule A pit contents.
(A) Reserve pits and
mud circulation pits. A person shall not deposit or cause to be deposited into
a reserve pit or mud circulation pit any oil field fluids or oil and gas wastes
other than the following:
(i) drilling fluids
that are freshwater base, saltwater base, or oil base;
(ii) drill cuttings, sands, and silts
separated from the circulating drilling fluids;
(iii) wash water used for cleaning drill pipe
and other equipment at the well site;
(iv) drill stem test fluids; and
(v) blowout preventer test fluids.
(B) Completion/workover pits. A
person shall not deposit or cause to be deposited into a completion/workover
pit any oil field fluids or oil and gas wastes other than spent completion
fluids, workover fluid, and the materials cleaned out of the wellbore of a well
being completed, worked over, or plugged.
(C) Makeup water pits. A person shall not
deposit or cause to be deposited into a makeup water pit any oil and gas wastes
or any oil field fluids other than water used to make up drilling fluid or
hydraulic fracturing fluid. Produced water shall not be placed in a makeup
water pit.
(D) Fresh mining water
pits. A person shall not deposit or cause to be deposited into a fresh mining
water pit any oil and gas wastes or any oil field fluids other than water used
for solution mining of brine.
(E)
Water condensate pits. A person shall not deposit or cause to be deposited into
a water condensate pit any oil field fluids or oil and gas wastes other than
fresh water condensed from natural gas and collected at gas pipeline drips or
gas compressor stations.
(2) Schedule A pit construction.
(A) All pits shall be designed, constructed,
and maintained to prevent any migration of materials from the pit into adjacent
subsurface soils, groundwater, or surface water at any time during the life of
the pit.
(B) Any authorized pit
that contains fluid with more than 3,000 mg/liter of total dissolved solids, or
any authorized pit located in areas where groundwater is present within 50 feet
of the bottom of the pit shall be lined.
(i)
All liners shall have a hydraulic conductivity that is 1.0 x 10-7 cm/sec or
less.
(ii) A liner may be
constructed of either natural or synthetic materials.
(3) Schedule A pit closure. A
person who maintains or uses a reserve pit, mud circulation pit, makeup water
pit, fresh mining water pit, completion/workover pit, or water condensate pit
shall ensure closure activities do not increase the potential for pollution.
(A) Schedule A pits shall be dewatered,
backfilled, and compacted according to the following schedule.
(i) Reserve pits, mud circulation pits, and
makeup water pits which contain fluids with a chloride concentration of 6,100
mg/liter or less shall be dewatered, backfilled, and compacted within one year
of cessation of drilling operations.
(ii) Reserve pits, mud circulation pits, and
makeup water pits which contain fluids with a chloride concentration in excess
of 6,100 mg/liter shall be dewatered within 30 days and backfilled and
compacted within one year of cessation of drilling operations.
(iii) All completion/workover pits used when
completing a well shall be dewatered within 30 days of well completion and
backfilled and compacted within 120 days of well completion. All
completion/workover pits used when working over a well shall be dewatered
within 30 days of completion of workover operations and backfilled and
compacted within 120 days of completion of workover operations.
(iv) Fresh mining water pits and water
condensate pits shall be dewatered, backfilled, and compacted within 120 days
of final cessation of use of the pit.
(v) If a person constructs a sectioned
reserve pit, each section of the pit shall be considered a separate pit for
determining when a particular section shall be dewatered.
(B) A person who maintains or uses a reserve
pit, mud circulation pit, makeup water pit, or completion/workover pit shall
remain responsible for dewatering, backfilling, and compacting the pit within
the time prescribed by subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, even if the time
allowed for backfilling the pit extends beyond the expiration date or transfer
date of the lease covering the land where the pit is located.
(C) The Director may require that a person
who uses or maintains a reserve pit, mud circulation pit, makeup water pit,
fresh mining water pit, completion/workover pit, or water condensate pit
dewater and backfill the pit sooner than the time prescribed by subparagraph
(A) of this paragraph if the Director determines that oil and gas wastes or oil
field fluids are likely to escape from the pit or that the pit is being used
for improper storage or disposal of oil and gas wastes or oil field
fluids.
(D) Prior to backfilling
any reserve pit, mud circulation pit, completion/workover pit, or water
condensate pit authorized by this paragraph, the person maintaining or using
the pit shall, in a permitted manner or in a manner authorized by §
4.111 of this title (relating to
Authorized Disposal Methods for Certain Wastes), dispose of all oil and gas
wastes which are in the pit.
Notes
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