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-3123 - Safety

Universal Citation: LA Admin Code XVII-3123

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

A. Emergency Action Plan. A plan outlining procedures for personnel at the facility to follow in case of an emergency shall be prepared and submitted as part of the permit application. The plan shall contain emergency contact telephone numbers, procedures and specific information for facility personnel to respond to a release, upset, incident, accident, or other site emergency. A copy of the plan shall be kept at the facility and shall be reviewed and updated as needed.

B. Controlled Site Access. All operators of salt cavern waste disposal facilities shall install and maintain a chain link fence of at least 6 feet in height around the entire facility property. All points of entry into the facility shall be through by a lockable gate system. All gates of entry shall be locked except during hours of operation.

C. Facility Identification. An identification sign shall be placed at all gated entrances to the salt cavern waste disposal facility. All lettering on the sign shall be of at least 1-inch dimensions and kept in a legible condition. The sign shall be of durable construction. Minimum information to include on the sign shall be the facility name, site address, daytime and nighttime telephone numbers, and shall be made applicable to the activity of the facility according to the following statement.

"This facility is authorized by the Office of Conservation, Injection and Mining Division to receive, store, treat, process, and/or dispose of E& P wastes into a salt cavern by means of subsurface injection. Improper operations, spills or violations at this facility should be reported to the Office of Conservation at (225) 342-5515."

D. Personnel. Trained and competent personnel shall be on duty and stationed as appropriate at the salt cavern waste disposal facility during all hours and phases of facility operation. Facility operation includes, but shall not be limited to, periods of waste acceptance, waste offloading, waste transfer, waste transport vehicle washing, waste storage, waste treatment, waste processing, and waste injection/disposal.

E. Wellhead Protection and Identification

1. A protective barrier shall be installed and maintained around wellheads, pipings, and above ground structures that may be vulnerable to physical or accidental damage by mobile equipment or trespassers.

2. An identifying sign shall be placed at the wellhead of each salt cavern well and shall include at a minimum the operator's name, well/cavern name and number, well serial number, section-township-range, and any other information required by the Office of Conservation. The sign shall be of durable construction with all lettering kept in a legible condition.

F. Valves and Flowlines

1. All valves, flowlines, flanges, fittings, and related connections shall be manufactured of steel. All components shall be designed with a test pressure rating of at least 125 percent of the maximum pressure that could be exerted at the surface. All components and related connections shall be maintained in good working order and shall be periodically inspected by the operator.

2. All valves, flowlines for waste injection, fluid withdrawal, and any other flowlines shall be designed to prevent pressures over maximum operating pressure from being exerted on the salt cavern well and salt cavern and prevent backflow or escape of injected waste material. The fluid withdrawal side of the wellhead shall have the same pressure rating as the waste injection side.

3. All flowlines for injection and withdrawal connected to the wellhead of the salt cavern well shall be equipped with remotely operated shut-off valves and shall also have manually operated positive shut-off valves at the wellhead. All remotely operated shut-off valves shall be fail-safe and tested and inspected according to §3123 L

G. Alarm Systems. Manual and automatically activated alarms shall be installed at all salt cavern waste disposal facilities. All alarms shall be audible and visible from any normal work location within the facility. The alarms shall always be maintained in proper working order. Automatic alarms designed to activate an audible and a visible signal shall be integrated with all pressure, flow, heat, fire, cavern overfill, leak sensors and detectors, emergency shutdown systems, or any other safety system. The circuitry shall be designed such that failure of a detector or sensor shall activate a warning.

H. Emergency Shutdown Valves. Manual and automatically actuated emergency shutdown valves shall be installed on all systems of salt cavern injection and withdrawal and any other flowline going into or out from each salt cavern wellhead. All emergency shutdown valves shall be fail-safe and shall be tested and inspected according to §3123 L

1. Manual controls for emergency shutdown valves shall be designed for operation from a local control room, at the salt cavern well, any remote monitoring and control location, and at a location that is likely to be accessible to emergency response personnel.

2. Automatic emergency shutdown valves shall be designed to actuate on detection of abnormal pressuring of the waste injection system, abnormal increases in flow rates, responses to any heat, fire, cavern overfill, leak sensors and detectors, loss of pressure or power to the salt cavern well, salt cavern, or valves, or any abnormal operating condition.

I. Vapor Monitoring and Leak Detection. The operator shall develop a vapor monitoring and leak detection plan as required in §3125. C below to detect the presence of noxious vapors, combustible gases, or any potentially ignitable substances.

J. Gaseous Vapor Control. Where necessary, the operator shall install and maintain in good working order a system for managing the uncontrolled escape of noxious vapors, combustible gases, or any potentially ignitable substances within the salt cavern waste disposal facility. Any vapor control system shall be in use continuously during facility operation.

K. Fire Detection/Suppression. All salt cavern waste disposal facilities shall have a system or method of fire detection and fire control or suppression. Emphasis for fire detection shall be at waste transfer, waste storage, waste process areas, and any area where combustible materials or vapors might exist. The fire detection system shall be integrated into the automatic alarm and emergency shut down systems of the facility.

L. Systems Test and Inspection

1. Safety Systems Test. The operator shall function-test all critical systems of control and safety at least once every six months. This includes testing of alarms, test tripping of emergency shutdown valves ensuring their closure times are within design specifications, and ensuring the integrity of all electrical, pneumatic, and/or hydraulic circuits. Tests results shall be documented and keep onsite for inspection by an agent of the Office of Conservation.

2. Visual Facility Inspections. Visual inspections of the entire salt cavern waste disposal facility shall be conducted each day the facility is operating. At a minimum, this shall include inspections of the wellhead, flowlines, valves, waste transfer areas, waste storage areas, waste processing areas, signs, perimeter fencing, and all other areas of the facility. Problems discovered during the inspections shall be corrected timely.

M. Retaining Walls and Spill Containment

1. Retaining walls, curbs, or other spill containment systems shall be designed, built, and maintained around appropriate areas of the facility to collect, retain, and/or otherwise prevent the escape of wastes or other materials that may be released through facility upset or accidental spillage. Retaining walls shall be constructed of reinforced concrete. All retaining walls shall be built to a level that will provide sufficient capacity for holding at least 110 percent of the volume of each tank. All storage areas shall be kept free of debris, trash, or other materials that may constitute a fire hazard.

2. At a minimum, the following areas shall be protected by retaining walls and/or spill containment:
a. waste acceptance areas;

b. waste unloading and waste transfer areas;

c. waste storage areas;

d. waste transport vehicle and transport container decontamination/washout areas;

e. waste treatment and waste processing areas;

f. curbed area around the wellhead of each salt cavern well; and

g. any other areas of the facility the Office of Conservation deems necessary.

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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