Idaho Admin. Code r. 20.07.02.230

Current through September 2, 2024

Section 20.07.02.230 - PIT REQUIREMENTS

01.Plans Required. If pits are proposed to be constructed in connection with another permit application required by these rules, then the owner or operator must include plans for pit construction in the application. If a pit is needed after the other permits have been approved, then an application to amend the permit must be made to the Department with an application fee. Approval by the Department is required prior to the pit being constructed unless the pit is necessary for an emergency action. Pit applications must include the permit number, well name, well location, as-built description if drilling has been completed, proposed pit location, and plans for pit construction, operation, and reclamation.

02.Location.

a. Pits must be located where they are structurally sound and the liner systems can be adequately protected against factors such as wild fires, floods, landslides, surface and ground water systems, equipment operation, and public access.

b. Pits located in a one hundred-year floodplain must be in conformance with any applicable floodplain ordinances pertaining to activities within the one hundred-year floodplain.

c. Pits shall not be located within an IDEQ recognized source water assessment or protection areas for public drinking water systems.

03.Site Preparation. All sites must be properly prepared prior to pit construction. Vegetation, roots, brush, large woody debris and other deleterious materials, topsoil, historic foundations and plumbing, or other materials that may adversely affect appropriate construction, must be removed from the footprint of the pit unless approved by the Department.

04.Pit Sizing Criteria.

a. Pits that have constructed berms ten (10) or more feet in height or hold fifty (50) acre-feet or more of fluid must also comply with the dam safety requirements of IDAPA 37.03.06, "Safety of Dams Rules."

b. Pits must be designed to hold the maximum volume of fluids being used for drilling or well treatment and the volume of water associated with a one hundred-year, twenty-four-hour precipitation event.

c. Snowmelt events shall be considered in determining the containment capacity.

d. Pits that are left over winter must be able to contain one hundred twenty-five percent (125%) of the average annual precipitation that falls from October through May.

e. Pits must be designed to maintain a minimum two (2) foot freeboard at all times. Contingency plans for managing excesses of fluids shall be described in the application. At no time shall fluids in a pit be allowed to escape from the impoundment.

05.Minimum Plans and Specifications for Reserve, Well Treatment, and Other Short Term Pits. Pits used for one (1) year or less, not including extensions, are short term pits. Construction plans and specifications for short term pits must include the requirements under Subsections 230.02 through 230.04 of this rule and the following:

a. A prepared subbase, which shall be free of plus three (3) inch rocks, roots, brush, trash, debris or other deleterious materials, and compacted to ninety-five percent (95%) of Standard Proctor Test ASTM D698-07e1 or ninety-five percent (95%) of Modified Proctor Test ASTM D1557-09;

b. Slopes of two (2) feet horizontal to one (1) foot vertical (2H:1V) or flatter for all interior and exterior pit walls. The top of a bermed pit wall must be a minimum of two (2) feet wide;

c. A primary liner system consisting of a synthetic liner of at least twenty (20) mils thickness and constructed according to manufacturers' standards with at least four (4) inches of welded seam overlap and complete coverage on the floor and inside walls of the pit. Seams must run parallel to the line of maximum slope so they do not traverse across the slope. The liner edges shall be anchored in a compacted earth filled trench at least eighteen (18) inches in depth. The liner must be protected against cracking, sun damage, ice, frost penetration or heaving, wildlife and wildfires, and damage that may be caused by personnel or equipment operating in or around these facilities. Liner compatibility shall comply with EPA SW-846 method 9090A. Alternative liner systems with similar standards may be proposed by the owner or operator and approved at the Department's discretion;

d. Minimum factors of safety, and the logic behind their selection, for the stability of the earthworks and the lining system of the pit;

e. Site-specific methods for excluding people, terrestrial animals, and avian wildlife from the pits;

f. Segregation and stockpiling of topsoil in a manner that will support reestablishment of the pre-disturbance land use after pit closure; and

g. A closure plan including the following:

i. Testing of residual fluids and any accumulated solids, if anything other than water based drilling fluid was placed in the pit;

ii. Plans for removal and disposal of residual fluids and accumulated solids, with the liner material, at an appropriate facility;

iii. Regrading plan, replacement of topsoil, and erosion control measures; and

iv. Reseeding and Revegetation.

06.Minimum Plans and Specifications for Long Term Pits. Pits used for more than one (1) year, not including extensions, are long term pits. Construction plans and specifications for long term pits must include the requirements under Subsections 230.02 through 230.05 of this rule and the following:

a. A quality control/quality assurance construction and installation plan;

b. Type of fluids to be contained in the pit;

c. Secondary containment synthetic liners, which shall have a minimum thickness of sixty (60) mils consisting of HDPE and a maximum coefficient of permeability of 10^-9 cm/sec, or comparable liners approved by the Department;

d. Leak detection and collection systems. The plans and specifications shall:

i. Provide a material between primary and secondary containment synthetic liners to collect, transport and remove all fluids that pass through the primary containment synthetic liner at such a rate as to prevent hydraulic head from developing on the secondary containment synthetic liner to the level at which it may be reasonably expected to result in discharges through the secondary containment synthetic liner;

ii. Provide routines and schedules for the evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the removal of fluids from the layer placed between primary and secondary containment synthetic liners. The properly working system shall continually relieve head pressures on the secondary containment synthetic liner;

iii. Provide specific triggers for maintenance routines, which shall be initiated in response to inadequate performance of primary or secondary containment synthetic liners; and

iv. Specify operation and maintenance procedures, which shall be initiated in response to inadequate performance of primary and secondary containment or leak detection and collection systems.

e. All piping, including that contained in the leak detection and collection system, shall have a minimum wall thickness of PVC Schedule 80 and be designed to:

i. Withstand chemical attack from oil field waste or leachate;

ii. Withstand structural loading from stresses and disturbances from cover materials or equipment operation; and

iii. Facilitate clean-out and maintenance.

f. Protections for the liner from excessive hydrostatic force or mechanical damage at the point of discharge into, or suction from, the pit. External discharge or suction lines shall not penetrate the liner;

g. Plans for erosion control during and immediately following construction; and

h. Operating and maintenance plans.

07.Time Limits for Short Term Pits. Reserve, well treatment, and other short term pits must be closed out and reclaimed within one (1) year of being constructed. The owner or operator may request a one-time extension for up to six (6) months. The Department may grant the request if the owner or operator gives sufficient cause and presents a plan for ensuring that the pit is adequately monitored and maintained.

a. Fluids may be left in a pit for up to six (6) months after the associated well activities are conducted. The owner or operator may request a one-time extension for up to one (1) year. The Department may grant the request if the owner or operator gives sufficient cause and presents a plan for keeping the fluids in a usable state.

b. Notwithstanding the above time limits, the owner or operator may request additional time based upon conditions wholly outside of the owner's or operator's control including, but not limited to, governmental lease requirements and delays related to difficult drilling conditions. The Department may impose additional construction or monitoring requirements prior to granting additional time.

08.Emergency Pits. Pits constructed during an emergency situation may be approved by an after-the - fact application submitted to the Department. The requirements in Subsections 230.02 through 230.05 of this rule shall apply, and the pit must be closed out and reclaimed within six (6) months of being constructed. The Department must be notified within twenty-four (24) hours of an emergency situation requiring an emergency pit.

09.Operating Requirements.

a. Waste oil, hydraulic fluid, transmission fluids, trash, or any other miscellaneous waste products must not be disposed of in a pit. Placement of these materials into a pit may result in the creation of a mixed waste that requires handling and disposal as a hazardous waste.

b. If a pit liner's integrity is compromised, or if any penetration of the liner occurs above the liquid's surface, then the owner or operator shall notify the appropriate Department area office within forty-eight (48) hours of the discovery and repair the damage or replace the liner.

c. If a pit or closed-loop system develops a leak, or if any penetration of the pit liner occurs below the liquid's surface, then the owner or operator shall remove all liquid above the damage or leak line within forty-eight (48) hours, notify the appropriate Department area office within forty-eight (48) hours of the discovery, and repair the damage or replace the pit liner.

d. The owner or operator shall install, or maintain on site, an oil absorbent boom or other device to contain and remove oil from a pit's surface. Visible oil must be removed from short term pits immediately following the cessation of activity for which the pit was constructed. Visible oil must be removed from long term pits as soon as it is discovered.

10.Closure of Pits.

a. The owner or operator shall remove all liquids from the pit prior to closure and dispose of them at an appropriate facility or reuse them at a different location. If the nature of the fluids has substantially altered during their use, then the fluids must be sampled and tested to determine which disposal facility can accept them.

b. Any solids that have been accumulated in the bottom of the pit will be tested to determine which disposal facility can accept the material. The solid material and liner will then be removed and disposed of at an appropriate facility.

c. The owner or operator must notify the Department at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to removal of the pit liner so an inspection may be conducted.

d. The pit foundation will be inspected for signs of leakage. If evidence of leakage is observed, the owner or operator must contact the Department and the IDEQ within twenty-four (24) hours and report the type of fluids released and the estimated extent of release. The owner or operator must then remediate the site in conformance with the applicable standards administered by IDEQ in IDAPA 58.01.02," Water Quality Standards," Sections 850 through 852.

e. After addressing any pit leakage concerns, the owner or operator shall perform the activities described in Subsections 510.04 through 510.08 of these rules.

11.Condemnation Due to Improper Impoundment. The Department shall have authority to condemn any pit that does not properly impound fluids and order the disposal of such fluids in conformance with IDAPA 58.01.16, "Wastewater Rules," and other applicable rules.

Idaho Admin. Code r. 20.07.02.230

Effective March 18, 2022