Arkansas Water Pollution Control Commission 6Rder No
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ARKANSAS WATER POLLUTION CONTROL COMMISSION 6RDER NO. 1-58 IN THE MATTER OF THE POLLUTION OF THE LOWER OUACHITA RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES BY SALT WATER ~~D OTHER OIL FIELD WASTES. Filed in this office on the 20th day of February. 1964. ?CLLUI'IC1 CCNT?.C L CCl·&~ISSICN IN TEE MATT3R CF THZ 7-'GLLl.i'TICi'! ) ) r'F THS LCHER \Uf.CH !TA RIVE::'. .t;.ND ) ) No. 1-58 TP.I""'UTAP.I'ZS .. y SAL'T HAT3R Al'-"!D ) ) CTHZR CIL :r"IELD ~~!ASTE3 ) CRDSR. FEEREA3, pursuant to the provisions of Act 472 of the Acts of Ar!<ansas for 1949, the ~.rkansas ~vater :?ollution Control Commis- sion, hereinafter referred to as the "CommissionH, is authorized to adopt rules and regulations to prevent pollutL.:-::."1 .s.nd to ma!~e and alter reasonable o~ders requiring the discontinuance of discharge of sewage, industrial wastes, or other wastes into any of the waters of the State; and ~~~RZA3, investigations conducted by the Commission have established that enormous quantities of salt water and other oil field wastes are being cischerged each dc:.y from oil and gas wells into the waters of the !~uachita P..iver (below 7~iver hile 312) and the tributaries thereof, including Lapile Cree~-{, Nill Creek and Smackover Creek, hereinafter collectively referred to as the •:tower Cuachita River Drainage ':asinn; and HF..S~EA3, oil and gas wells in the Lower Cuachita River Drainage :>.asin discharge more than 19,200,000 2;allons of salt water per day, equivalent to over 12,500,000 pounds of dry salt, the sub- stant:ial part of which flows into the Cuachita River; and \:? 1:::::'2t<>, the dischar~e of said salt water and other oil field wastes has produced excessive and abnormal salinity and ab- normally lm.v p~: value in t:he "Jat:s::s of the Lower ~uachita :S.iver Drainage ~asin, thereby substantially impairin3 the quality of said~ .. -2- waters and ~cndering the s~ue unfit for most d~nestic, commercial, industrial, and recreational uses, including use for dridting water, irriea.tion, stoc,.:. \vatering, s.nd other agricultural uses; and ~~lERZA3, public hearings on the foregoing matters were held by the Commission as follows: Lapile Cree~t Drainage Jasin, Cctober 2, 1957, :Sl Dorado, .. ·.r!::ansE.s (including the following oil fields - !-~illsboro, South :-7illsboro, Lewson, South. Lawson, New London, North New London, Pigeon IIill, .]anc1y ~~c:::....: ~ l·7orth Sandy 3end, Urbana, and ~.Jest Urbane); Hill Cree1 ~ Drainaze ··.asin, bc;v 29, 1958, Sl ~orado, f~ltansas ( including the following oil fiel~s - Champag nolle, t.Jilmington, and ila:nsey Cree:~); and 3mac:(over Creek Drainage ~asin, June 23, 195C, Camden, Ar!:ansas, and June 25, 195C, .1 Dorado, Ar!'=ansas ( inclu:Ung the followin~ oil fields - Amason, ·;ear Creek, ~uena Vista, Calion, Gum, Lisbon, Mt. Rolly, race City, Salem Church, Sheppard, Smacl::over, SUO'i-1 Pill, Cld 3tephens, North Stephens, Troy, Wesson, and llesgul"·n) ; and ~J:-GREA3, notice of the aforesaid hearings was given to each operator operating oil or gas wells within the aforesaid drain age basins, respectively, in the manner and within the time provided by law; and ~1{ZREA~, the foregoing conditions constitute pollution -within the meaning of .:.ct l:.72 of 1949, in that said conditions are a public nuisance and detrimental to public health, safe-ty, and welfare, and have rendered the waters of the Lower Cuachita River Drainege .,asin unfit for most dcr..=stic, commercial, industrial, end recreational uses, end injurio~D to fish and other aq~tic life; and . -3·· l..i~~2~"SA8, it is in the public interest that sc:..id pollution be abatec e.s promptly as possible, giving due consideration to the practicability end to the physical and economic feasibility thereof; :~G·J, THZirE7C?J:, The Ar~~anses ~-.rater ..:·ollution Control Com- misaion, purs",.lant to Act 472 of 19l~S, coes hereby order and cirect the operetors operatin;3 oil or gas t<Jells in the a.bov~ named drainage b~sins and oil fields, and each of them, as follows: 1 • ~r..ac h sueh _ opera.t or sna• 11 , w;~h·.... ~.. 1.n th~.:.. r·-ur.e h.ere i na....et er set forth, cease and desist from dischargins saL; tJd!:er of other oil field '~astes produced by a.ny oil or gas "t·Jell in his control or pos- session in any oanner permittin3 such wastes to flow into any of the waters of the Lower Cuachita. :tiver :Jrainage Jasin, "tvhether by natural draina~e, seepaee, overflow, or otherwise. It shall be the duty of each such operator to confine all such salt water and other oil field wastes and dispose of sam-e in such manner as t<-1ill prevent their dis- charge or flow into any of the waters of said drainage basin. 2. Giving due consideration to the practicability and tb the physical and economic feasibility of sec~.1ring abatement of the aforesaid pollution, each such operator may effec·;: a sradual abate- ment of the pollutio&.l resulti~g from axistinc 'tvells in ::old fields or '90ols ., , now or hereafi:er operatee by him, by reducing the "base volumer: of s~lt water and other wastes flO\ving into the ~Jaters of said draina,~e ~asin by not lees i:':lan twenty per cent ( 20cra) on or be- fore Decemb~r 13, 1959, and at a r2-=e of not less th~n twenty per cent ( 20~~) for each tvJelve-months' ?eriod ·thereafter. ·;cld fields or pools:1 are cefined as oil c; s:1.s fields and/or ?Ools found, brought in, or established prior to July 1, 1957. ~·3ase volume11 is defined as the average cai1y ~uantity of salt water and other wastes dischar_::e l,Ji·thout an adeq~.1.s.te disposal syste·,n by c::.ll exisi:ins wells in oil fiei~.:..:: or pools opers.tec by ec-.ch s'..l.ch operator in the Cua.chita :tiver Crai:,~:z:: :--asin curing the period :)ecew0er 1, 195S, through ?ebruary 15, !'JJ9. Tote..l e..bc::.tement shall be effected not later the..n December 13, 19C4. 3. In ad~ition ~o the disposal required by Parasraph 2 hereof, each such operator shall dispose, in full, of any increase above the base volume in salt 't"c:.ter or other ~7Estes £rom existing and new wells in oil fields and pools. 4. 3alt water and other wastes produced by any wells in r:New fields or pools=r shall also be disposed of in full in accordance with Regulation No. 1 o~ t:::1e Commission.. :rNew fields or pools" are defined as oil or gas fields and/or pools found, brought in, or established after July 1, 1~57. 5. fn or before i~~arsh 1, 19.59, each such o:_Jerator shall file with the Co~~ission a report, verified by affidavit, reflectin~ the volume in bc::.rrels per d~y of sal~ "tvater end other wastes produced from each t•iell, based upon e..ctual well tests during the base period December 1, 195~, throush 2ebr~ry 15, 195?, the tan:: bettery to which each 'vell is connectei, ~:nd the volue:n of salt water produced daily · _through each tan!.' battery, the C.isposal system in use, if: any, end th~ volun::e o:': s.E.lt w~t~r disposed o:f thereby, the volume of undisposed of salt ~ater and ot~er w~Gtes, to~ether with such other information as the Cornm~sGion may require. Zach such operator shall also, on or before i:~arc:.1 1, 1959, file t,.Jith the Commission a verified statement as to the method by t-Jhich the -req:· .. ired dist:osal is to be accomplished, including the d·i.mensions o£ e.nd plDt;.s for the disposal system to be used, and ar. aJ?plic~ti::-n for a ceri.:i~icete of ap:~roval to 1.nstall end -5- operate such disposal system. ~:ithin thirty (30) 2zys ~fter the end of each ?erl.o:! for !'ercenta::;e reduction, es :>rovidec1 by :.:·aragre?h 2 hereof, a verifiec report shall be filed with the Commission by each opera-::or shC)\·Jine by -.:-Jells the reduction in uncisposed selt water and other 't-7c:.s~es attained during the preceding period, together with a statement as to the method by "-vhich the disposal required for the next succeeding period is to be eccomplished. :ach such operator shall submit such other in£orma.tion and r:-~ports as the Commission may, from time to time 1 deem necee:cc.:·:- _)r ?roper to effect compliance with this order. ?orras for reporting the information required by this order and for ap?lyin~ for disposal certificates may be obtained from tl1e ~ori.• tlission. C:. No oil or ga.s ~vell may be o~erated unless the operator thereof has a?plied for and obteinec a disposal certificate, in the manner and within the time proviced by ?aragraph 5 of this ol:'der. Any well for which proper ~is?osel application has been filed with the Ccmmission may be operated pending final action thereon by the Commission. Upon recei~t of a disposal certificate, the operator of the well shall poat at the s:!.te of the well or tan:: battery a per- manent sign beari~~he name of the operator, the lease, legal description of th2 location, and certificate number. 7. Each operator subject. to this order may join. with one or more oi:her O!)erators (hereinafter referred to as ;'unit 11 ) in the Lower Cuach~~a ~iver Jrainage ~asin for purposes of joint compliance with this or~er.