How the Oklahoma Corporation Commission Can Help You Regarding Water Supplies Patricia Billingsley Oklahoma Corporation Commission Oil and Gas Conservation Division

Today Talk Is About Two H2O topics: 1. The Commission’s drinking water protection activities, and 2. How we can help you find new ground water supplies for water wells Please do not snore loudly.

Current Oil and Gas Activities Can Affect Surface Waters at Wellsites

O&G Activities Can Affect Groundwater

To Protect Groundwater – General Rules Clay or textile membrane lined pits The Corporation Commission requires Surface Casing – steel cemented in place to protect fresh water aquifers from oil & other fluids in the well bore. Oil and Gas wells must be cased from the surface to 50’ below the Base of Treatable (fresh to mildly saline) Water. No drilling in a Wellhead Protection Area

Corp Comm’s Special Oil Field Rules 165: Protection of Municipal Water Supplies – surface OR ground water “The Commission, upon application of any municipality or other governmental subdivision, may enter an order establishing special field rules within a defined area to protect and preserve fresh water and fresh water supplies” Town and Rural Water Districts are included

Special Field Rules can be set by Rule or by an Administrative Law Order Exactly what procedures are set depends on the needs of the water district. Several different examples

Cushing Lake Area Atoka Lake-McGee Creek

Special Field Rules Example - Lake Atoka and McGee Creek Reservoir (1) IN ATOKA COUNTY (A) Sections 1-35 of Township 1 North, Range 12 East; (B) Sections 1-18, and of Township 1 North, Range 13 East; (C) Sections 1-36 of Township 1 North, Range 14 East; And so on, to legally describe the whole area

Lake Atoka and McGee Creek Rules Stormwater/Pollutant Runoff and Pit Concerns Drill site containment. During the drilling and completion of an oil and gas well the operator shall, within six (6) miles of the maximum water surface level contour line: (1) Maintain an earthen retaining wall (to contain spills or muddy stormwater) downslope of the well, no closer than 50 feet from the wellbore. The retaining wall ……shall be of adequate size for the terrain involved with a minimum length of 330 feet and a minimum compacted height of two (2) feet; and (2) Maintain a (stormwater) diversion ditch upslope of the well.

Lake Atoka and McGee Creek Rules Erosion control. During the drilling phase of operations, silt fencing or other suitable materials or practices shall be used on the downslope side of the drill site to control runoff from the location. Pit Liner - any pit shall be lined with a geomembrane liner that meets or exceeds each of the following specifications: (A) be made of linear low density polyethylene; (B) have a thickness of 20 millimeters; and (C) conform to the test requirements prescribed in GRI Test Method GM17; And so on

Field Rules Example 2 - Cushing Lake Drilling Practices

Some Specific Rules for Drilling Near Cushing Lake 1.Within 1350’ of the lake high water mark (840’ above sea level), the (well drilling) derrick must be completely sheeted (enclosed) before drilling starts “as precaution against the spraying of oil due to blowouts or other causes”; 2.Surface Casing –surface and production casing cemented from 750’ up to ground surface; 3.All pits have a liner or impermeable mud layer;

Some Specific Rules for Cushing Lake Area 4. If there is any produced salt water, the well must be shut down until “adequate means are had for the disposal of such salt water”; 5. Pits must be “sufficiently large” to hold all oils, sands etc. removed from the well; 6. All of such material must be removed and deposited outside the water district (i.e. no land application of drilling mud or cuttings within the district);

Special Field Rules Example - Rush Springs Aquifer

Rush Springs Aquifer – Simple Rule 165: Rush Springs Sandstone (a) Scope. (List of all townships and sections in Aquifer outcrop area) (b) Commercial pits prohibited. The construction, enlargement, reconstruction or operation of any commercial pit (as defined in OAC 165:10-9-1) in any area listed in subsection (a) above, is prohibited. That is the entire rule

To Start the Process Toward A Special Field Rule in Your Area Contact : Mr. Tim Baker Manager of Pollution Abatement

Any Questions on this part of my talk?

Corp Comm’s Assistance to Water Districts to Find NEW Water Supplies Corp Comm has a lot of data regarding soil and rock below the ground surface: Depth to the base of fresh/treatable water – which can be 50’ ’+; location dependant Well Logs from some of the 500,000 wells drilled to date in OK – both O&G and non- productive wells Other geologic and water data we can access, such as (where available):

OWRB Aquifer and Water Well Data Water Well Drillers reports, including well depths and flow rates Vulnerability Assessment of Twelve Major Aquifers in Oklahoma, OWRB Technical Report 98-5

USGS and Oklahoma Geologic Survey Bedrock Maps and Water Data

Former Oilfield Areas Where There Could Be Pollution

BTW -Seminole & Carter Co. Example Well Logs BTW is picked from electric logs run in oil & gas wells BTW Fresh Water Zones Saline Water Sands Brackish Water and Oil Sand

Gentle BTW Contours Garvin Co. Carter Co. Steep BTW Contours

One Rural Water District Example This Lincoln County water district needed more water There were a dozen square miles where they had potential locations – where was their best shot?

BTW Map, Water Wells, Oilfields, Logs

Types of Information Provided, To help pre-plan drilling Sec-T-RQuarters Likely Max depth, feet, of Freshest H2O 2-16N-4ENESESW N-4ESESESE N-4ESWNESE N-4ENWNWSE N-4ESESESE N-4ESWSWSE330 Table I - Locations of wells with logs

Detailed Recommendations (with usual iffy qualifiers in text) Sec-T-RRecommend?Max depth to drill 2-16N-4E Yes 250, possibly 450’ where depth to BTW is thickest 3-16N-4E Yes E/2, No W/ N-4E Yes, except East of the 200’ contour line N-4E Yes N-4EYes260 or N-4E Yes N-4E Perhaps for NE corner; No for the rest 220

How to Request Rural Water Districts – contact Jeannie Anthony, Oklahoma Rural Water Association; she will assemble your information and send what we need. Towns – Can we work through your COGS?????

Any Questions?