|
Animal Waste Permits
Arkansas Pollution Control
and Ecology Commission
Regulation 5
(PDF File)
requires all confined animal operations, regardless of size, that
utilize a
liquid waste management system in Arkansas to obtain a permit
from the Department. Confined animal operations that utilize a dry
waste management system are not required to obtain a permit from the
Department but are subject to enforcement actions for improper waste
handling, storage or disposal.
The Department issues two
types of permits for confined animal operations.
-
A State General Permit is
available for facilities that do not satisfy the criteria for CAFO
classification but still wish to be covered by a general permit. The
State General Permit contains conditions and requirements similar to
those contained in the NPDES General Permit but is issued under
State authority.
-
An Individual State Permit
is issued for facilities that do not satisfy the criteria for CAFO
classification and do not wish to be covered by the State General
Permit. An Individual State Permit will contain conditions and
requirements specific to each facility. However, in most cases, an
Individual State permit will have conditions and requirements very
similar to a State General Permit.
Any facility requesting a
new permit must submit to the Department a waste management plan
developed by one of the following:
A permit modification is
required for any change in the waste handling system. Major
modifications are required for the addition of any new waste
application site(s), a ten percent or greater increase in the volume
of animal waste generated or the construction of any new component(s)
in the waste handling system. Public notices, a permit modification
application and an updated waste management plan are required for
major modifications. Other changes, such as a change in waste
application rate, are considered minor modifications and only
require an updated waste management plan.
Should a permitted facility
cease operation, the permittee must submit a
closure plan (PDF File) for the
liquid waste system/treatment structure to the Department for
approval within sixty (60) days of the final day of operation. The
closure plan must be prepared by one of the following:
Once the facility has been
properly closed in accordance with the approved closure plan, the
permittee may request the permit be voided. Permit fees will
continue to be billed until the permit has been voided.
For more information, please
contact:
Animal Waste
Permit Forms
Permits for Land Application of Beneficial Wastes
Under the authority of the
Arkansas Water and Air Pollution Control Act (Act 472 of 1949, as
amended), the No Discharge Permits Section also issues permits for land
application of beneficial industrial process wastes. To be
considered "beneficial", land application of the waste must provide
some sort of agronomic improvement to the application site, such as
crop nutrients, soil conditioning, crop irrigation, etc. The most
common types of beneficial wastes include grease trap wastes,
wastewater treatment biosolids, water treatment residuals,
wastewater treatment effluent and some food processing wastes.
Land application of
wastewater treatment biosolids is subject to the requirements
contained in 40 CFR Part 503, however, the ADEQ has the authority to
establish more stringent policies. In some cases, land application
of biosolids or wastewater treatment effluent may require an
NPDES permit instead of, or
in addition to, a State Water permit. Guidelines for land
application of biosolids and domestic wastewater are available from
the ADEQ.
A Waste Management Plan
approved by an Arkansas registered Professional Engineer must
accompany all applications for waste storage / land application
permits. The Waste Management Plan must contain waste analyses and
documentation of the potential agronomic benefit for any waste to be
land applied. Additional requirements are listed in the permit
application.
For more information, please contact:
Land
Application Permit Forms
Construction, Operation, and Closure of Pits
00000-WG-P
This General Permit covers operators of pits
associated with oil and gas exploration located within the State of
Arkansas. Please read the permit prior to apply for a tracking
permit number. The following items are necessary to obtain coverage
under the general permit:
- The Notice of Intent (NOI) must
be completed.
- Documents required by the general permit (Please read the
above permit carefully)
- Arkansas
Disclosure Form
- A check or money order of $300.00
For more information, please contact:
Current reserve pit requirements applicable until July 31, 2008
(pdf)
Permits for Land Application of Drilling Fluids
(Commercial Land Farms)
Under the authority of the the Arkansas Water and
Air Pollution Control Act (Act 472 of 1949, as amended, A. C. A.
§8-4-101, et seg.), the No Discharge Permits Section issues permits for land
application of drilling fluids produced during the exploration and
production of oil and natural gas. Only water based drilling mud is
currently approved. A Waste Management Plan approved by an Arkansas
registered Professional Engineer must accompany all applications for
land application permits. The Waste Management Plan must contain
waste analyses and the plan for management of the drilling mud.
Additional technical requirements are described in the permit
application.
For more information, please contact:
Drilling Fluid Permit Forms
Land Application of Water-Based Drilling Fluids
00000-WG-LA
Response To Comments
This General Permit covers the land application of
water-based drilling fluids from one oil or gas well pit at one site
located within the State of Arkansas.
Eligibility and Authorization:
- Only water-based drilling fluids generated or
utilized during oil and gas drilling operations are eligible for
land application.
- Frac water, flow-back water, completion fluids,
oil-based drilling fluids and fluids classified or listed as
hazardous waste under State or Federal regulations are not
eligible for land application.
- The complete NOI and all accompanying
documentation shall be submitted to the Department at least
twenty-one (21) business days prior to coverage under this
permit. If the operator receives no notification for
deficiencies or coverage within twenty-one (21) business days
from ADEQs receipt of the NOI, the operator is deemed to be
covered by this general permit and must comply with the terms
and conditions therein.
The following items are necessary to obtain coverage
under the general permit:
For more information, please contact:
Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Permits
The No Discharge Permits
Section, in
cooperation with the
Arkansas Department of Health, issues permits to facilities that
utilize subsurface wastewater disposal such as septic tanks and
leach fields. Regulatory jurisdiction of a subsurface wastewater
disposal system depends on the type and volume of waste.
Subsurface disposal of
domestic wastewater ONLY with a flow rate less than 5000 gallons per
day requires approval from the Arkansas Department of Health (no
permit required from the ADEQ).
Subsurface disposal of
domestic wastewater ONLY with a flow rate greater than 5000 gallons
per day requires a permit from the ADEQ and approval from the
Arkansas Department of Health.
Subsurface disposal of
non-domestic wastewater ONLY (regardless of flow rate) requires a
permit from the ADEQ. Non-domestic wastewater is any wastewater that
is commercial, industrial or agricultural in origin, excluding food
establishments. The most common types of facilities permitted for
subsurface disposal of non-domestic wastewater are car and truck
washes, slaughter houses and laundromats.
Subsurface disposal of
combined domestic AND non-domestic wastewater requires a permit from
the ADEQ AND approval from the
Arkansas Department of Health.
Some types of subsurface disposal activities may also fall under the
Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class V well jurisdiction. This
does not require any additional permitting requirements at this
time. Any additional items that may be required will be included as
part of the permitting process. See the
Underground Injection Control
Program below for more information.
For more information, please contact:
Subsurface
Disposal Permit Forms
Saltwater Disposal Permits
Arkansas Pollution Control
and Ecology Commission
Regulation 1
(PDF File)
prohibits the discharge of pollutants from all oil and gas facilities
in order to protect the surface water and groundwater of Arkansas.
The ADEQ issues permits for the construction and operation of the
surface facilities associated with the disposal of salt water
generated by petroleum-producing wells. The
Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission issues permits for the operation
of the disposal well. The ADEQ encourages noncommercial operators to
obtain a General Salt Water Disposal Permit, while commercial
facilities must obtain an individual permit.
For more information, please contact:
Saltwater
Disposal Permit Forms
Underground Injection Control Program
Underground injection is the technology of placing
fluids underground through wells. The U. S. Congress passed the Safe
Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1974 which required the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a system of regulations for
injection activities (Part C of the SDWA). The regulations are
designed to establish minimum requirements for controlling all
injection activities and provide mechanisms for implementation and
authorization of enforcement authority and also provide protection
for underground sources of drinking water (USDW).
Arkansas was given authority to administer the UIC
program as a primacy state in 1982. This primacy state status grants
the ADEQ primary enforcement authority to regulate Class I, Class
III, Class IV and Class V wells. The
Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission (AOGC) regulates the Class II
and Class V bromine related spent brine disposal wells.
Class I wells are technologically sophisticated and inject
hazardous and non-hazardous wastes below the lowermost underground
source of drinking water (USDW). Injection occurs into deep,
isolated rock formations that are separated from the lowermost USDW
by layers of impermeable clay and rock.
The operator must submit an application to construct
and operate a Class I well. If a hazardous well classification is
requested, the applicant must also submit a No Migration Petition to
the
EPA Region 6 Office. Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to
RCRA made UIC regulations (1988) more stringent for Class I
hazardous wells. This resulted in strict no-migration standards and
a petition approval process for continued operation of the wells. To
receive a no-migration petition the facility must be able to
demonstrate that injected waste will not impact the biosphere
(ground water or surface water) for 10,000 years.
The permit application must include the following:
Geology and Hydrogeology, both regionally and locally; Area of
Review; Reservoir Mechanics; Waste stream characteristics;
Construction and completion data of proposed well; Proposed
operating parameters; Surface facilities; Plugging and abandonment
procedures; a copy of financial assurance mechanism; and additional
information as required in the permit application form. It must be
demonstrated that there will be no impact to surface water and
groundwater. The UIC staff review the applications to assure
compliance with the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology
Commission
Regulation No. 17
(PDF File) and the federal UIC Regulations (40 CFR Parts 124, 144
and 146).
Class II wells inject fluids associated with oil and
natural gas production (primarily salt water), for enhanced recovery
of oil or natural gas, and for storage of liquid hydrocarbons. See
the
Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission for more information.
Class III wells inject heated water or other fluids into
underground formations for extraction of minerals from ore bodies
that have not been nor cannot be conventionally mined, which
includes salts, sulfur and uranium. The injected fluids are then
pumped to the surface and the minerals in solution are extracted.
Generally, the fluid is treated and re-injected into the same
formation. There are no Class III wells in Arkansas.
Class IV wells inject hazardous or radioactive waste into and or
above a formation containing an USDW. Class IV wells are banned
under authority of Regulation No. 17 and 40 CFR 144.13.
A
Class V well is any injection well not included in the Class I,
II, III, or IV categories. Some Class V wells are technologically
advanced wastewater disposal systems used by industry, but most are
"low-tech" wells, such as septic systems and cesspools. Generally,
they are shallow and depend upon gravity to drain or "inject" liquid
waste into the ground above or into underground sources of drinking
water. Their simple construction provides little or no protection
against possible ground water contamination, so it is important to
control what goes into them. These types include, but is not limited
to: air conditioning return flow wells, large capacity cesspools,
cooling water return flow wells, drainage wells for storm water
runoff, dry wells, recharge wells, salt water intrusion barrier
wells, septic system for a multiple dwelling, subsidence control
wells, geothermal wells, solution mining wells, spent brine return
flow wells, in situ recovery, motor vehicle waste disposal and wells
used in experimental technology.
Large capacity cesspools are banned in Arkansas
under authority of the
Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services. Spent brine
return flow wells are regulated by the
Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission.
Class V wells are authorized by rule and must follow
the requirements stated in 40 CFR Parts 144.82 and 144.84. Some
wells may be required to obtain a permit.
For more information, please contact:
Links
|
