Section 4.114 - [Effective 7/1/2025] Schedule A Authorized PitsReserve pits, mud circulation pits, completion/workover pits, makeup water pits, fresh mining water pits, and water condensate pits are Schedule A authorized pits.
(1) Schedule A pit contents.(A) Reserve pits and mud circulation pits. A person shall not deposit or cause to be deposited into a reserve pit or mud circulation pit any oil field fluids or oil and gas wastes other than the following: (i) drilling fluids that are freshwater base, saltwater base, or oil base;(ii) drill cuttings, sands, and silts separated from the circulating drilling fluids;(iii) wash water used for cleaning drill pipe and other equipment at the well site;(iv) drill stem test fluids; and(v) blowout preventer test fluids.(B) Completion/workover pits. A person shall not deposit or cause to be deposited into a completion/workover pit any oil field fluids or oil and gas wastes other than spent completion fluids, workover fluid, and the materials cleaned out of the wellbore of a well being completed, worked over, or plugged.(C) Makeup water pits. A person shall not deposit or cause to be deposited into a makeup water pit any oil and gas wastes or any oil field fluids other than water used to make up drilling fluid or hydraulic fracturing fluid. Produced water shall not be placed in a makeup water pit.(D) Fresh mining water pits. A person shall not deposit or cause to be deposited into a fresh mining water pit any oil and gas wastes or any oil field fluids other than water used for solution mining of brine.(E) Water condensate pits. A person shall not deposit or cause to be deposited into a water condensate pit any oil field fluids or oil and gas wastes other than fresh water condensed from natural gas and collected at gas pipeline drips or gas compressor stations.(2) Schedule A pit construction. (A) All pits shall be designed, constructed, and maintained to prevent any migration of materials from the pit into adjacent subsurface soils, groundwater, or surface water at any time during the life of the pit.(B) Any authorized pit that contains fluid with more than 3,000 mg/liter of total dissolved solids, or any authorized pit located in areas where groundwater is present within 50 feet of the bottom of the pit shall be lined.(i) All liners shall have a hydraulic conductivity that is 1.0 x 10-7 cm/sec or less.(ii) A liner may be constructed of either natural or synthetic materials.(3) Schedule A pit closure. A person who maintains or uses a reserve pit, mud circulation pit, makeup water pit, fresh mining water pit, completion/workover pit, or water condensate pit shall ensure closure activities do not increase the potential for pollution. (A) Schedule A pits shall be dewatered, backfilled, and compacted according to the following schedule. (i) Reserve pits, mud circulation pits, and makeup water pits which contain fluids with a chloride concentration of 6,100 mg/liter or less shall be dewatered, backfilled, and compacted within one year of cessation of drilling operations.(ii) Reserve pits, mud circulation pits, and makeup water pits which contain fluids with a chloride concentration in excess of 6,100 mg/liter shall be dewatered within 30 days and backfilled and compacted within one year of cessation of drilling operations.(iii) All completion/workover pits used when completing a well shall be dewatered within 30 days of well completion and backfilled and compacted within 120 days of well completion. All completion/workover pits used when working over a well shall be dewatered within 30 days of completion of workover operations and backfilled and compacted within 120 days of completion of workover operations.(iv) Fresh mining water pits and water condensate pits shall be dewatered, backfilled, and compacted within 120 days of final cessation of use of the pit.(v) If a person constructs a sectioned reserve pit, each section of the pit shall be considered a separate pit for determining when a particular section shall be dewatered.(B) A person who maintains or uses a reserve pit, mud circulation pit, makeup water pit, or completion/workover pit shall remain responsible for dewatering, backfilling, and compacting the pit within the time prescribed by subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, even if the time allowed for backfilling the pit extends beyond the expiration date or transfer date of the lease covering the land where the pit is located.(C) The Director may require that a person who uses or maintains a reserve pit, mud circulation pit, makeup water pit, fresh mining water pit, completion/workover pit, or water condensate pit dewater and backfill the pit sooner than the time prescribed by subparagraph (A) of this paragraph if the Director determines that oil and gas wastes or oil field fluids are likely to escape from the pit or that the pit is being used for improper storage or disposal of oil and gas wastes or oil field fluids.(D) Prior to backfilling any reserve pit, mud circulation pit, completion/workover pit, or water condensate pit authorized by this paragraph, the person maintaining or using the pit shall, in a permitted manner or in a manner authorized by §4.111 of this title (relating to Authorized Disposal Methods for Certain Wastes), dispose of all oil and gas wastes which are in the pit.16 Tex. Admin. Code § 4.114
Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 50, Number 01, January 3, 2025, TexReg 0070, eff. 7/1/2025