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.