(A) All drilling and operations at any well performed by an operator under this chapter shall be conducted in accordance with the practices of a reasonable and prudent operation in the Barnett Shale Area. All casing, valves, blow-out preventors, drilling fluid, tubing, well head, Christmas tree, and well head connections shall be of a type and quality consistent with such practice. Setting and cementing casing and running drillstem tests shall be performed in a manner and at a time consistent with the practices of a reasonable and prudent operator. Each operator under this section shall observe and follow the regulations of the Railroad Commission of the state. All of the installations shall be done in accordance with accepted practices for fire prevention purposes.
(B) All drilling and operations shall comply with the following noise regulations:
(1) No well shall be drilled, redrilled or any equipment operated at any location within the city in such manner so as to create any noise that causes the exterior noise level, when measured at the nearest protected use receiver's/receptor's property line or 100 feet from the nearest protected use structure (as measured to the closest exterior point of the building), whichever is closer to the receiver/receptor, that exceeds the ambient noise level by more than five decibels during daytime hours, and more than three decibels during nighttime hours. Fracing operations may not exceed the ambient noise level by more than ten decibels. Backflow operations may not exceed the ambient noise level by more than five decibels during nighttime hours.
(2) The operator shall be responsible for establishing and reporting to the city the pre-drilling ambient noise level prior to the issuance of a gas well permit. Once the drilling is complete, the operator shall be required to establish a new ambient noise level prior to the installation of any new noise-generation equipment.
(3) Adjustment to the noise standards set forth above in § 118.13(B)(1) may be permitted in accordance with the following:
Permitted Increase (db)
|
Duration of Increase (Minutes)*
|
5 | 15 |
10 | 5 |
15 | 1 |
20 | less than 1 |
*Cumulative minutes during any one hour |
(4) All workover operations shall be restricted to daytime hours.
(5) The exterior noise level generated by the drilling, redrilling or other operations of all gas wells located within 600 feet of a protected use shall be continuously monitored to ensure compliance. The cost of such monitoring shall be borne by the operator.
(6) Acoustical blankets, sound walls, mufflers or other alternative methods, as approved by the City Manager, may be used to ensure compliance. All soundproofing shall comply with accepted industry standards and shall be subject to approval by the Fire Department.
(7) The sound level meter used in conducting noise evaluations shall meet the American National Standard Institute's standard for sound meters, or an instrument and the associated recording and analyzing equipment that will provide equivalent data.
(8) A citation shall be issued for the failure to correct the violation within 24 hours of the notice of violation by the City Manager or his or her designated representative.
(9) During nighttime operations in residential and commercial districts, the operation of vehicle audible back-up alarms shall be prohibited or replaced with approved, non-auditory signaling systems, such as spotters or flagmen. Except for emergency situations, deliveries of pipe, casing and heavy loads in such areas shall be limited to daytime hours. In such districts, the derrick man and driller shall communicate by walkie-talkie or other nondisruptive means, and horns may not be used to signal for connection or to summon crew (except that a horn may be used for emergency purposes only). The operator shall conduct onsite meetings to inform all personnel of the noise control requirements for nighttime operations.
(C) Drilling operations must be conducted in such a manner that percolating or ground water will not be adversely affected, including the prevention of vertical movement of percolating water.
(D) All oil or gas drilling and production operations shall be conducted in such a manner as to minimize dust, noise, vibration or noxious odors, and shall be in accordance with the best accepted practices incident to drilling for the production of oil, gas and other hydrocarbon substances. A closed loop mud system shall be used in conjunction with all drilling and reworking operations on a drill site located in a residential or commercial district, unless waived by the City Council. The production site surface shall have a dust inhibiting surface. Asphalt millings shall be applied to all high traffic areas, including pad site and areas where trucks turn around to exit the site.
(E) Except in case of emergency, no materials, equipment, tools or pipe used for drilling or production operations shall be delivered to or removed from the site except between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on any day. On drillstem tests on a site located in such a residential or commercial district, only one trip will be allowed at night between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., unless an emergency exists.
(F) Firefighting apparatus and supplies, as approved by the Fire Department, shall be maintained on the drilling site at all times during drilling and production operations. No refining process or any process for the extraction of products from natural gas shall be carried on at the drill site, except that a dehydrator and separator may be maintained on the drill site for the separation of liquids from natural gas. Any such separator shall serve only one well.
(G) All production equipment used shall be so constructed and operated that noise, vibration, dust, odor or other harmful or annoying substances or effect will be minimized by the operations carried on at any drilling site, or from anything incident thereto, to the injury or annoyance of persons living in the vicinity; nor shall the site or structures thereon be permitted to become dilapidated, unsightly or unsafe. If capable of reducing factors of nuisance or annoyance, proven technological improvements in methods of production shall be adopted as they, from time to time, become available. There shall be no venting of gas into the open air, except as allowed by the Railroad Commission in residential areas.
(H) The well site, drill site, tank site, tank battery site, pump station site, or compressor site shall not be used for the storage of pipe, equipment or materials, except during the drilling or servicing of the well and the production facilities allowed on the site.
(I) No refinery, dehydrating or absorption plant of any kind shall be constructed, established or maintained on the premises at any time. This shall not be deemed to exclude a simple gas separation process.
(J) All electric lines to production facilities shall be located in a manner compatible to those already installed in the surrounding area or subdivision.
(K) No lights located on any drill or operation site shall be directed in such a manner that they shine directly on public roads, adjacent property or property in the general vicinity of the drill or operation site. To the extent practicable, and taking into account safety considerations, site lighting shall be directed downward and internally so as to avoid glare on public roads and adjacent dwellings and buildings within 300 feet.
(L) Exhaust from any internal combustion engine, stationary or mounted on wheels, used in connection with the drilling of any well or for use on any production equipment shall not be discharged into the open air, unless it is equipped with an exhaust muffler or mufflers, or an exhaust muffler box constructed of noncombustible materials sufficient to suppress noise and prevent the escape of noxious gases, fumes or ignited carbon or soot.
(M) All formation fracturing operations shall be conducted during daylight hours, unless the operator has notified the City Manager that fracturing will occur before or after daylight hours to meet safety requirements. The following requirements shall apply to all fracture stimulation operations performed on a well within 600 feet of a protected use:
(1) At least 48 hours before operations are commenced, the operator shall post a sign at the entrance of the well site advising the public of the date the operations will commence;
(2) “Flowback” operations to recover fluids used during fracture stimulation shall be performed during daylight hours only, unless the City Manager permits such operations during non-daylight hours;
(3) A watchman shall be required at all times during such operations; and
(4) At no time shall the well be allowed to flow or vent directly to the atmosphere without first directing the flow through separation equipment or into a portable tank.
(N) Signs.
(1) A sign shall be immediately and prominently displayed at the gate of the temporary and permanent site fencing erected pursuant to § 118.16 of this chapter. Such sign shall be of durable material, maintained in good condition and, unless otherwise required by the Commission, shall have a surface area of not less than two square feet nor more than four square feet, and shall be lettered with the following:
(a) The well name and number;
(b) The name of the operator;
(c) The telephone numbers of the person responsible for the well who may be contacted in case of emergency.
(2) Permanent weatherproof signs reading “DANGER NO SMOKING ALLOWED” shall be posted immediately upon completion of the well site fencing at the entrance of each well site and tank battery, or in any other location approved or designated by the Fire Chief. Sign lettering shall be four inches in height, and red on a white background or white on a red background. Each sign shall include the emergency notification numbers of the Fire Department and the operator, and the well and lease designations required by the Commission.
(O) No salt water injection or disposal wells shall be located in the city.
(P) Each well must have a shutoff valve to terminate the well's production. The Fire Department shall have access to the well site to provide fire protection in an emergency.
(Q) The operator shall provide 48-hour notice to the City Manager, or his or her designated representative, before the start of drilling and/or fracturing operations.
('68 Code, § 19½-11) (Ord. 10-1987-55, passed 10-20-87; Am. Ord. 01-2007-07, passed 1-23-07; Am. Ord. 06-2011-32, passed 6-28-11) Penalty, see § 118.99