312 IAC 29-22-2 - Baseline groundwater monitoring for well stimulation treatments exceeding 5,000 barrels
Authority: IC 14-10-2-4; IC 14-37-3
Affected: IC 14-37
Sec. 2.
(a) The
requirements of this section apply to all operations proposing to utilize five
thousand (5,000) barrels or more of well stimulation treatment fluid into any
formation that is within five hundred (500) feet vertically of any aquifer
currently being used for domestic water supply from a water well located within
one-fourth (ΒΌ) mile of the surface well location or of any portion of
the horizontal drain hole that is to receive fluid from the well
stimulation.
(b) At least
forty-eight (48) hours before conducting any well stimulation, the owner or
operator shall provide written or verbal notice to the owner or operator of any
unplugged offset well within one-fourth (1/4) mile that is completed in the
same formation.
(c) Before
conducting any well stimulation, the owner or operator shall collect baseline
water samples from water wells existing within a one-fourth (1/4) mile radius
of the well surface location or any portion of the horizontal drain hole as
follows:
(1) If ten (10) or fewer water wells
exist the baseline water samples shall be collected from each water
well.
(2) If more than ten (10)
water wells exist the owner or operator shall select ten (10) sampling
locations based on the following criteria:
(A)
Except as necessary to comply with clauses (B) and (C) water wells closest to
the surface well location or any portion of the horizontal drain hole proposed
for well stimulation shall be sampled in a radial pattern around the surface
well location.
(B) To the extent
groundwater flow direction is known or can reasonably be determined, water
wells both downgradient and up-gradient locations from the surface well
location shall be sampled. Where groundwater flow direction is not
ascertainable sample locations should be chosen in a radial pattern from the
surface well location.
(C) When
multiple defined aquifers are present, water wells drilled into each aquifer
shall be sampled.
(d) The collection of baseline water samples
and laboratory analysis shall be conducted at the expense of the owner or
operator of the well to receive the well stimulation treatment.
(e) Water samples shall be collected by a
qualified professional utilizing proper sampling protocol and analyzed by a
laboratory certified by the Indiana state department of health.
(f) Water sampling shall be conducted not
less than seven (7) days nor more than three (3) years prior to initiation of
the well stimulation. The results of samples collected under the requirements
of this section may be used to satisfy sampling requirements for subsequent oil
or gas wells on the same or contiguous drilling sites for a period of up to
three (3) years.
(g) If a landowner
denies permission for sampling a well, the operator shall document the
reasonable and good faith efforts taken to secure such permission.
(h) Samples shall be analyzed for the
following minimum parameters using laboratory methods approved by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency under
40 CFR
136:
(1)
pH.
(2) Total dissolved
solids.
(3) Specific
conductance.
(4)
Chloride.
(5) Iron.
(6) Sulfate.
(7) Manganese.
(8) Phosphorus.
(9) Magnesium.
(10) Benzene.
(11) Toluene.
(12) Ethylbenzene.
(13) Xylenes.
(14) Dissolved methane.
(15) Sodium.
(i) Copies of all final laboratory analytical
results shall be provided to the landowner within forty-five (45) days of
collecting the samples.
Notes
State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be added as we have more versions to compare.
No prior version found.