Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 43 - NATURAL RESOURCES
Part XVII - Office of Conservation-Injection and Mining
Subpart 4 - Statewide Order No. 29-M-2
Chapter 31 - Disposal of Exploration and Production Waste in Solution-Mined Salt Caverns
Section XVII-3107 - Application Content

Universal Citation: LA Admin Code XVII-3107

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

A. The following minimum information required in §3107 shall be submitted in a permit application for a non-commercial salt cavern E& P waste disposal facility. The applicant shall also refer to the appropriate application form for any additional information that may be required.

B. Administrative Information:

1. all required state application form(s);

2. the nonrefundable application fee(s) and public hearing fee;

3. the name, mailing address, and physical address of the salt cavern waste disposal facility;

4. the operator's name, address and telephone number;

5. ownership status as federal, state, private, public, or other entity;

6. a brief description of the nature of the business associated with the activity;

7. list of all permits or construction approvals that the applicant has received or applied for and which specifically affect the legal or technical ability of the applicant to undertake the activity or activities to be conducted by the applicant under the permit being sought;

8. a copy of the title to the property for the salt cavern waste disposal facility. If a lease, option to lease, or other agreement is in effect on the property, a copy of this instrument shall be included with the application;

9. acknowledgment as to whether the facility is located on Indian lands or other lands under the jurisdiction or protection of the federal government, or whether the facility is located on state water bottoms or other lands owned by or under the jurisdiction or protection of the state of Louisiana;

10. documentation of financial responsibility and insurance or documentation of the method by which proof of financial responsibility and insurance will be provided as required in §3109. B Where applicable, include copies of a draft letter of credit, bond, or any other evidence of financial responsibility acceptable to the Office of Conservation. Before making a final permit decision, final (official) documentation of financial responsibility and insurance must be submitted to and approved by the Office of Conservation;

11. names and addresses of all property owners within a 1/2 mile radius of the property boundary of the salt cavern waste disposal facility.

C. Maps and Related Information-

1. a location plat of the salt cavern well prepared and certified by a registered civil engineer or registered land surveyor. The location plat shall be prepared according to standards of the Office of Conservation;

2. a topographic or other map extending at least 1 mile beyond the property boundaries of the salt cavern waste disposal facility depicting the facility and each well where fluids are injected underground; and those wells, springs, or surface water bodies, and drinking water wells listed in public records or otherwise known to the applicant in the map area;

3. the section, township and range of the area in which the salt cavern waste disposal facility is located and any parish, city or municipality boundary lines within 1 mile of the facility location;

4. a map showing the salt cavern well for which the permit is sought, the property boundaries of the salt cavern waste disposal facility, and the area of review. Within the area of review, the map shall show the number, name, and location of all existing producing wells, injection wells, abandoned wells and dry holes, public water systems and water wells. The map shall also show surface bodies of water, mines (surface and subsurface), quarries, and other pertinent surface features including residences and roads, and faults if known or projected;

5. maps and cross sections indicating the vertical limits of all underground sources of drinking water within the area of review, their position relative to the disposal formation, and the direction of water movement, where known, in every underground source of drinking water which may be affected by the proposed project;

6. generalized maps and cross sections illustrating the regional geologic setting;

7. structure contour mapping of the top-of-salt on a scale no smaller than 1 inch to 500 feet;

8. vertical cross sections detailing the geologic structure of the local area. The cross sections shall be structural (as opposed to stratigraphic cross sections), be referenced to sea level, show the salt cavern well and the salt cavern being permitted, all surrounding salt caverns regardless of use and current status, conventional (room and pillar) mines, and all other bore holes and wells that penetrate the salt stock. Cross sections should be oriented to indicate the closest approach to surrounding salt caverns, bore holes, wells, etc., and shall extend at least 1-mile beyond the edge of the salt stock. Any faulting in the area shall be illustrated on the cross sections such that the displacement of subsurface formations is accurately depicted; and

9. any other information required by the Office of Conservation to evaluate the salt cavern well, salt cavern, and related surface facility.

D. Area of Review Information. Refer to §3115. E for area of review boundaries and exceptions. Only information of public record need be researched or submitted with the application, however, a diligent effort must be made to identify all wells and other manmade structures in response to the area of review requirements. The applicant shall provide the following information on all wells or structures within the defined area of review:

1. a discussion of the protocol used by the applicant to identify wells and manmade structures in the defined area of review;

2. a tabular listing of all known water wells in the area of review to include the name of the operator, well location, well depth, well use (domestic, irrigation, public, etc), and current well status (active, abandoned, etc.);

3. a tabular listing of all known wells (excluding water wells) in the area of review with penetrations into the cap rock or salt stock to include at a minimum:
a. operator name, well name and number, state serial number (if assigned), and well location;

b. well type and current well status (producing, disposal, storage, solution mining, shut-in, plugged and abandoned), date the well was drilled, and the date the current well status was assigned;

c. well depth, construction, completion (including completion depths), plug and abandonment data;

4. the following information shall be provided on manmade structures within the salt stock regardless of use, depth of penetration, or distance to the salt cavern well or salt cavern being the subject of the application:
a. a tabular listing of all salt caverns to include:
i. operator name, well name and number, state serial number, and well location;

ii. current or previous use of the salt cavern (waste disposal, hydrocarbon storage, solution mining), current status of the salt cavern (active, shut-in, plugged and abandoned), date the salt cavern well was drilled, and the date the current salt cavern status was assigned;

iii. salt cavern depth, construction, completion (including completion depths), plug and abandonment data;

b. a tabular listing of all conventional (dry or room and pillar) mining activities, whether active or abandoned. The listing shall include the following minimum items:
i. owner or operator name and address;

ii. current mine status (active, abandoned);

iii. depth and boundaries of mined levels;

iv. the closest distance of the mine in any direction to the salt cavern well and salt cavern.

E. Technical Information. The applicant shall submit, as an attachment to the application form, the following minimum information in technical report format:

1. results of a current salt cavern sonar survey and mechanical integrity pressure and leak tests;

2. corrective action plan required by §3115. F for wells or other manmade structures within the area of review that penetrate the salt stock but are not properly constructed, completed or plugged and abandoned;

3. plans for performing the geological and hydrogeological studies of §3115 B, C, and D. If such studies have already been done, submit the results obtained along with an interpretation of the results;

4. properly labeled schematic of the surface construction details of the salt cavern well to include the wellhead, gauges, flowlines, and any other pertinent details;

5. properly labeled schematic of the subsurface construction and completion details of the salt cavern well and salt cavern to include borehole diameters (bit size or calipered); all cemented casings with cement specifications, casing specifications (size, depths, etc.); all hanging strings showing sizes and depths set; total depth of well; top, bottom, and diameter of cavern; and any other pertinent details;

6. surface site diagram(s) drawn to scale to include details and locations of the entire salt cavern waste disposal facility layout (surface pumps, piping and instrumentation, controlled access roads, fenced boundaries, waste offloading, storage, treatment and processing areas, field office, monitoring and safety equipment and location of such equipment, required curbed or other retaining wall heights, etc.);

7. detailed plans and procedures to operate the salt cavern well, salt cavern, and related surface facilities in accordance with the following requirements:
a. the cavern and surface facility design requirements of §3117, including, but not limited to cavern spacing requirements and cavern coalescence;

b. the well construction and completion requirements of §3119, including, but not limited to open borehole surveys, casing and cementing, casing and casing seat tests, cased borehole surveys, hanging strings, and wellhead components and related connections;

c. the operating requirements of §3121, including, but not limited to cavern roof restrictions, blanket material, remedial work, well recompletion, multiple well caverns, cavern allowable operating pressure and rates, cavern displacement fluid management, and E& P waste storage;

d. the safety requirements of §3123, including, but not limited to an emergency action plan, controlled site access, facility identification, personnel, wellhead protection and identification, valves and flowlines, alarm systems, emergency shutdown valves, vapor monitoring and leak detection, gaseous vapor control, fire detection and suppression, systems test and inspections, and surface facility retaining walls and spill containment, as well as contingency plans to cope with all shut-ins or well failures to prevent the migration of contaminating fluids into underground sources of drinking water;

e. the monitoring requirements of §3125, including, but not limited to equipment requirements such as pressure gauges, pressure sensors and flow sensors, continuous recording instruments, vapor monitoring and leak detection, subsidence monitoring, and weather conditions (wind sock), as well as a description of methods that will be undertaken to monitor salt cavern growth due to undersaturated fluid injection. The plan shall incorporate method(s) for monitoring the salinity of all wastes disposed and the carrier fluid used in aiding the disposal of wastes;

f. the pre-operating requirements of §3127, specifically the submission of a completion report, and the information required therein, prior to accepting, storing, treating, processing or otherwise initiating waste disposal activities;

g. the mechanical integrity pressure and leak test requirements of §3129, including, but not limited to frequency of tests, test methods, submission of pressure and leak test results, notification of test failures and prohibition of waste acceptance during mechanical integrity failure;

h. the cavern configuration and capacity measurement procedures of §3131, including, but not limited to sonar caliper surveys, frequency of surveys, and submission of survey results;

i. the cavern waste disposal capacity exceedance requirements of §3133;

j. the requirements for inactive caverns in §3135;

k. the reporting requirements of §3137, including, but not limited to the information required in monthly waste receipts and operation reports;

l. the record retention requirements of §3139;

m. the closure and post-closure requirements of §3141, including, but not limited to closure plan requirements, notice of intent to close, standards for closure, and post-closure requirements; and

n. any other information pertinent to operation of the salt cavern E& P waste disposal facility, including, but not limited to procedures for waste characterization and testing, waste acceptance, waste storage, waste processing, waste disposal, any waiver for surface siting, monitoring equipment and safety procedures.

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 30:4 et seq.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Louisiana may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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