Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A.
Applicability. This Section applies to all applicants, owners and/or operators
of salt cavern waste disposal facilities. The applicant, owner and/or operator
shall be responsible for showing that disposal of E& P wastes into the salt
cavern shall be accomplished using good engineering and geologic practices for
salt cavern operations to preserve the integrity of the salt stock and
overlying sediments. This shall include, but not be limited to:
1. an assessment of the geological,
geomechanical, geochemical, geophysical properties of the salt stock;
2. stability of the salt cavern design
(particularly regarding its size, shape, depth, and operating
parameters);
3. physical and
chemical characteristics of the waste;
4. the amount of separation between the salt
cavern of interest and adjacent caverns and structures within the salt stock;
and
5. the amount of separation
between the outermost salt cavern wall and the periphery of the salt
stock.
B. Geological
Studies and Evaluations. The applicant shall do a thorough geological,
geophysical, geomechanical, and geochemical evaluation of the salt stock to
determine its suitability for waste disposal, stability of the salt cavern
under the proposed set of operating conditions, and where applicable, the
structural integrity of the salt stock between an adjacent cavern and salt
periphery under the proposed set of operating conditions. The applicant shall
provide a listing of data or information used to characterize the structure and
geometry of the salt stock.
1. Where
applicable, the geologic evaluation shall include, but should not be limited
to:
a. geologic mapping of the structure of
the salt stock and any cap rock;
b.
geologic history of salt movement;
c. an assessment of the impact of possible
anomalous zones (salt spines, shear planes, etc.) on the salt cavern well or
salt cavern;
d. deformation of the
cap rock and strata overlying the salt stock;
e. investigation of the upper salt surface
and adjacent areas involved with salt dissolution;
f. cap rock formation and any non-vertical
salt movement.
2. The
applicant shall perform a thorough hydrogeological study on strata overlying
the salt stock to determine the occurrence of the lowermost underground source
of drinking water immediately above and in the vicinity of the salt
stock.
3. The applicant shall
investigate regional tectonic activity and the potential impact (including
ground subsidence) of the waste disposal project on surface and subsurface
resources.
C. Core
Sampling
1. At least one well at the site of
the salt cavern waste disposal facility (or the salt dome) shall be or shall
have been cored over sufficient depth intervals to yield representative samples
of the subsurface geologic environment. This shall include coring of the salt
stock and may include coring of overlying formations, including any cap rock.
Cores should be obtained using the whole core method. Core acquisition, core
handling, and core preservation shall be done according to standard field
sampling practices considered acceptable for laboratory tests of recovered
cores.
2. Data from previous coring
projects may be used instead of actual core sampling provided the data is
specific to the salt dome of interest. If site-specific data is unavailable,
data may be obtained from sources that are not specific to the area as long as
the data can be shown to closely approximate the properties of the salt dome of
interest. It shall be the responsibility of the applicant to make a
satisfactory demonstration that data obtained from other sources are applicable
to the salt dome of interest.
D. Core Analyses and Laboratory Tests.
Analyses and tests shall consider the characteristics of the injected materials
and should provide data on the salt's geomechanical, geophysical, geochemical,
mineralogical properties, microstructure, and where necessary, potential for
adjacent salt cavern connectivity, with emphasis on salt cavern shape and the
operating conditions. All laboratory tests, experimentation, and numeric
modeling shall be conducted using methods that simulate the proposed operating
conditions of the salt cavern. Test methods shall be selected to define the
deformation and strength properties and characteristics of the salt stock under
salt cavern operating conditions.
E. Area of Review. A thorough evaluation
shall be undertaken of both surface and subsurface activities in the defined
area of review of the individual salt cavern well or project area that may
influence the integrity of the salt stock, salt cavern well, and salt cavern,
or contribute to the movement of injected fluids outside the salt cavern,
wellbore, or salt stock.
1. Surface
Delineation. The area of review for a salt cavern well shall be a fixed radius
around the wellbore of not less than 1/2 mile. Exception shall be noted as
shown in §3115.
E.2.c and d below.
2. Subsurface Delineation. At a minimum, the
following shall be identified within the area of review:
a. all known active, inactive, and abandoned
wells within the area of review with known depth of penetration into the cap
rock or salt stock;
b. all known
water wells within the area of review;
c. all salt caverns within the salt stock
regardless of usage, depth of penetration, or distance to the proposed salt
cavern well or salt cavern;
d. all
conventional (dry or room and pillar) mining activity either active or
abandoned occurring anywhere within the salt stock regardless of distance to
the proposed salt cavern well or salt cavern.
F. Corrective Action
1. For manmade structures identified in the
area of review that are not properly constructed, completed, or plugged and
abandoned, the applicant shall submit a corrective action plan consisting of
such steps, procedures, or modifications as are necessary to prevent the
movement of fluids outside the salt cavern or into underground sources of
drinking water.
a. Where the plan is adequate,
the provisions of the corrective action plan shall be incorporated into the
permit as a condition.
b. Where the
plan is inadequate, the Office of Conservation shall require the applicant to
revise the plan or the application shall be denied.
2. Any permit issued for an existing salt
cavern well or salt cavern for which corrective action is required shall
include a schedule of compliance for complete fulfillment of the approved
corrective action procedures. If the required corrective action is not
completed as prescribed in the schedule of compliance, the permit shall be
suspended, modified, revoked and possibly reissued, or terminated according to
these rules and regulations.
3. No
permit shall be issued for a new salt cavern well until all required corrective
action obligations have been fulfilled.
4. The Office of Conservation may prescribe
additional requirements for corrective action beyond those submitted by the
applicant.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
30:4 et
seq.
