Ohio Code 1509.23 – Health and safety rules for drilling of wells and production of oil and gas
Rules of the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management may specify practices to be followed in the drilling and treatment of wells, production of oil and gas, and plugging of wells for protection of public health or safety or to prevent damage to natural resources, including specification of the following:
Terms Used In Ohio Code 1509.23
- Brine: means all saline geological formation water resulting from, obtained from, or produced in connection with exploration, drilling, well stimulation, production of oil or gas, or plugging of a well. See Ohio Code 1509.01
- Gas: means all natural gas and all other fluid hydrocarbons that are not oil, including condensate. See Ohio Code 1509.01
- Oil: means crude petroleum oil and all other hydrocarbons, regardless of gravity, that are produced in liquid form by ordinary production methods, but does not include hydrocarbons that were originally in a gaseous phase in the reservoir. See Ohio Code 1509.01
- Production operation: means all operations and activities and all related equipment, facilities, and other structures that may be used in or associated with the exploration and production of oil, gas, or other mineral resources that are regulated under this chapter, including operations and activities associated with site preparation, site construction, access road construction, well drilling, well completion, well stimulation, well site activities, reclamation, and plugging. See Ohio Code 1509.01
(A) Appropriate devices;
(B) Minimum distances that wells and other excavations, structures, and equipment shall be located from water wells, streets, roads, highways, rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, other bodies of water, railroad tracks, public or private recreational areas, zoning districts, and buildings or other structures. Rules adopted under this division shall not conflict with section 1509.021 of the Revised Code.
(C) Other methods of operation;
(D) Procedures, methods, and equipment and other requirements for equipment to prevent and contain discharges of oil and brine from oil production facilities and oil drilling and workover facilities consistent with and equivalent in scope, content, and coverage to section 311(j)(1)(c) of the “Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972,” 86 Stat. 886, 33 U.S.C.A. 1251, as amended, and regulations adopted under it. In addition, the rules may specify procedures, methods, and equipment and other requirements for equipment to prevent and contain surface and subsurface discharges of fluids, condensates, and gases.
(E) Notifications;
(F) Requirements governing the location and construction of fresh water impoundments that are part of a production operation.