All methane gas activities shall be conducted pursuant to Ohio R.C. Chapter 1509 and Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 1501, to the extent the Chapters apply, and any amendments made thereto, and in accordance with the following provisions:
(a) Any methane gas processing facility shall be entirely enclosed by a minimum six foot high chain link type fence, plus three strands of barbed wire above, and shall be installed within six months after commencement of drilling production wells. This section shall constitute an exception to the provisions of Section 1155.04 of the Codified Ordinances.
(b) All hatch lids on tanks greater than eight inches in diameter must be equipped with a wire insert to prevent accidental entry into such tanks.
(c) No waste, sludge, water or effluents of any type shall in any manner be dumped, emptied or drained into any storm drainage course or storm or sanitary sewer, or otherwise disposed of so as to cause any pollution of the waters or lands of the City or create any environmental hazard. After any spill, leak or malfunction, the responsible party shall remove or cause to be removed to the satisfaction of the Building Commissioner all oil and waste materials from any public or private property affected by such spill, leak or malfunction. The responsible party shall also pay for any and all damage to municipal utility services and any extraordinary expenses incurred by the City regarding the use of safety forces at an emergency caused by the drilling operation.
(d) All pits used in the drilling and fracturing process shall be constructed and adequately lined so as to prevent the absorption of any wastes, brines, sludges, oil, oil by-products or other deleterious substances into the ground. All pits must be maintained with water-tight integrity and must be nonleaking. Within forty-five days of the completion of the well, all substances contained in such pits shall be completely removed and safely disposed of and all pits shall be filled, leveled and landscaped.
(e) Prior to the commencement of the drilling operation and prior to the installation of any tanks, the permit holder shall provide ingress and egress roads to all well and tank sites. All tank access roads shall be constructed of suitable slag, gravel, crushed stone or other suitable road surface material, be of adequate width to allow travel by firefighting equipment, and be maintained in good condition free of mud or dust. In the event any mud is carried onto any public street, the permit holder shall immediately remove same from the street to the satisfaction of the Building Commissioner.
(f) The permit holder shall notify the City Police Department prior to moving the drilling rig onto or off the well site.
(g) Only drilling rigs sufficiently muffled against noise emissions shall be used in any drilling operations.
(h) All storage tanks and/or separators located at the well site shall be diked in accordance with the requirements of the National Fire Codes and the National Fire Protection Association, such dikes to be maintained during the entire time of the well construction and operation phases.
(i) No storage tanks, blowers, processing facility or other equipment shall be located within 200 feet of any habitable building in a commercial or industrial zoned area or within 250 feet of any habitable building in any other zoning district.
(j) Tanks used in the storage of water may not exceed eight feet in height or 140 barrels in capacity and are to be painted a color, approved by the Building Commissioner, so as not to contrast with the surrounding environment. Not more than one tank per well site shall be permitted.
(k) All gates are to be padlocked with a duplicate of the key given to the Building Commissioner, Police Chief and Fire Chief. All oil and water lines with valves extending beyond the chain link fence shall be locked and capped.
(l) In order that some responsible person may be reached at any time in the event of an emergency, the name, address and telephone numbers of the persons responsible for the ownership, operation and all maintenance of each drilled well, whether capped, temporarily out of production, not yet fractured or in production, located within the City, shall be furnished to the Building Commissioner. This information shall include the street location, state permit number and name of the well. The applicant shall inform the Commissioner in writing as to shut-off procedures for any drilled well. The emergency information required by this subsection shall be prominently posted at the entrance to the access road to the drilled well site.
(m) Adequate firefighting apparatus and supplies approved by the City Fire Department shall be maintained on the well site at all times during drilling and production operations. All machinery, equipment and installations on all well sites within the City shall conform with such requirements as may from time to time be issued by the City Fire Department.
(n) No well, storage tank or separator shall be permitted within 500 feet of any existing school, church, hospital, theater, assembly hall or other public building.
(o) All methane gas wells that use a flair shall be equipped with an automatic ignition system, as well as a low pressure cut-off valve.
(Ord. 79-1985. Passed 11-25-85.)