La. Admin. Code tit. 43 § XIX-301
Coastal Area- that area comprising inland tidal waters, lakes bounded by the Gulf of Mexico, and salt water marshes and more particularly identified as the intermediate marshes, brackish marshes, and saline marshes on the Vegetative Type Map of the Louisiana Coastal Marshes, published by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, August, 1978.
Community Saltwater Disposal Well or System- as defined in §501
Contamination- the introduction of substances or contaminants into a groundwater aquifer, a USDW or soil in such quantities as to render them unusable for their intended purposes.
Elevated Wetland Area- a wetland area which is not normally inundated with water and where land mass and levee material are available for mixing with waste fluids during closure of a pit.
Exempt Pits- compressor station pits, natural gas processing plant pits, emergency pits, and salt dome cavern pits located in the coastal area.
E and P Waste- exploration and production waste.
Exploration and Production Waste- as defined in §501
FSR Fluid- fracture stimulation reclamation fluid as defined in §501
Groundwater Aquifer- water in the saturated zone beneath the land surface that contains less than 10,000 mg/l TDS.
Hydrocarbon Storage Brine- well water, potable water, rainwater, or brine (partially saturated to completely saturated) used as a displacing fluid in hydrocarbon storage well operations.
Manufactured Liner- any man-made synthetic material of sufficient size and qualities to sustain a hydraulic conductivity no greater than 1 x 10-7 cm/sec after installation and which is sufficiently reinforced to withstand normal wear and tear associated with the installation and pit use without damage to the liner or adverse affect on the quality thereof. For purposes of this Chapter and Chapter 5, a manufactured liner used in pit construction must meet or exceed the following standards.
Parameter or Test Standard | |
Thickness (average) | > 10 mil (0.01 in) |
Breaking Strength (Grab Method)* | 90 lbs |
Bursting Strength* | 140 psi |
Tearing Strength* | 25 lbs |
Seam Strength* | 50 lbs |
*Testing is to be performed according to ASTM method D-751, latest revision.
Mining Water- well water, potable water, rainwater, or unsaturated brine which is injected into a brine solution mining well for recovery as saturated brine.
Onsite- for purposes of this Section, on the same lease or contiguous property owned by the lessor, or within the confines of a drilling unit established for a specific well or group of wells.
Operation of Oil and Gas Facilities- as used in this Section, all oil and gas wells, disposal wells, enhanced recovery injection wells and facilities, flowlines, field storage and separation facilities, natural gas processing and/or gas sweetening plants, and compressor stations.
Pit- for purposes of this Chapter, a natural topographic depression or man-made excavation used to hold produced water or other exploration and production waste, hydrocarbon storage brine, or mining water. The term does not include lined sumps less than 660 gallons or containment dikes, ring levees or firewalls constructed around oil and gas facilities.
Produced Water- liquids and suspended particulate matter that is obtained by processing fluids brought to the surface in conjunction with the recovery of oil and gas from underground geologic formations, with underground storage of hydrocarbons, or with solution mining for brine.
Production Pits- either earthen or lined storage pits for collecting E and P Waste sediment periodically cleaned from tanks and other producing facilities, for storage of produced water or other exploration and production wastes produced from the operation of oil and gas facilities, or used in conjunction with hydrocarbon storage and solution mining operations as follows.
Reserve Pits- temporary earthen pits used to store only those materials used or generated in drilling and workover operations.
ROW Fluid-reclaimed Oilfield Waste fluid as defined in §501
Staging Location-a registered site used by the operator for receiving and storing reclaimed oil field waste fluid for use in that operator's onsite or nearby downhole well operations.
Submerged Wetland Area- a wetland area which is normally inundated with water and where only levee material is available for mixing with waste fluids during closure of a pit.
Underground Source of Drinking Water (USDW)- for the purpose of administering these rules and regulations is defined in §403 B
Upland Area- an area which is not identified as a wetland and includes farm land, pasture land, recreational land, and residential land.
La. Admin. Code tit. 43, § XIX-301