Saltwater purge among priorities for OEPA

Daisy Creager | The Journal Record

OKLAHOMA CITY – An ongoing saltwater purge in Blaine and Kingfisher counties and the relationship between horizontal and vertical drillers will be among the issues the Oklahoma Energy Producers Alliance will take up during the upcoming legislative session.

In a presentation to state legislators Thursday at the state Capitol, OEPA leaders discussed concerns they hope will be addressed. Kurt Bollenbach, managing director of Teocalli Exploration, a small independent oil and gas operator primarily located in northwest Oklahoma, discussed the ongoing saltwater purge occurring on the border of Kingfisher and Blaine counties.

Reported to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission July, the purge lead regulators to issue orders for the temporary restriction of disposal wells in the area. Bollenbach said the purge has been caused by producers disposing of the toxic water at too shallow of depths. Water with a salinity just shy of the Dead Sea’s is purging from cracks in the ground at a rate of 2 to 15 gallons per minute, enough to fill a swimming pool every day.

Water was previously disposed of at depths of 1.5 to 2 miles beneath the surface, but seismic activity led the industry to dispose at about three-fourths of a mile beneath the surface, he said.

“The seasoned producers I’ve had discussions with as well as those professionals who are truly concerned with resolving this problem, we’ve had a general consensus of two things. One, this is not naturally occurring, we’ve caused it. Two, the purge is a symptom of simply forcing too much water at too high a pressure in too shallow of zones. In other words, we’re just overdoing it,” Bollenbach said.

Read more.

New OCC Proposed Rules Jan. 2020

Attached please find the latest proposed Corporation Commission (OCC) rules (Chapter 5 amendment, Chapter 10 amendment). Unfortunately, in part, the OCC is reacting to the Blaine County purge (breakout to the surface). Currently the volume of the purge is approximately 6 gallons per minute. The consensus is that the purge is the result of approximately […]

Truth and Transparency

Oklahoma Corporation Commission Update

Richard Parrish | OEPA Regulatory Affairs
FORM 1012 – Annual report of volumes for non-commercial/injection wells
Effective January 2, 2020, Operators will be required to electronically file Form 1012 reporting annual volumes for all non-commercial disposal/injection wells.  Beginning January 2, 2020, Operators will no longer be allowed to file paper copies of Form 1012 on the Corporation Commission’s new online electronic form system, OK eForm. In order to file your Form 1012s, you are required to register with and use the Corporation Commission’s new OK eForm filing system.   If you are not prepared or equipped to file your Form 1012s electronically, please contact the Director of the Oil and Gas Division, the Manager of the UIC Department, or the offices of the Corporation Commissioners, to request an alternative to electronically filing your Form 1012s. The Corporation Commission may be called at (405) 521-2211.
OK eForm – Corporation Commission’s new electronic form filing system
As a result of additional funding provided to upgrade its information technology capabilities, the Corporation Commission has developed and is implementing a new electronic form filing system, OK eForm. Ultimately this system will replace the current methods of filing forms and information with the OCC.  This includes both the current electronic form filing system and the filling of paper/hard copies. The User Registration Guide for the new OK eForm filing system is available at http://www.occeweb.com/OG/ogforms/eFORM_REGISTRATIONGUIDE.pdf. Operators can register or login on to the new electronic form filling system at https://www.occpermit.com/OKeForm/Login.  If you are not prepared or equipped to file forms electronically, please contact the Director of the Oil and Gas Division and/or the offices of the Corporation Commissioners, to voice your concerns and request that the Corporation Commission continue to accept the filing of paper/hard copy of forms or by fax or email as an alternative to the new OK eForm filing system. The Corporation Commission may be called at (405) 521-2211.