Section 245.815  Notice and Approval Before Commencement of High Volume Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing Operations

Before commencement of HVHHF operations, the permittee must notify and receive written approval from the Department by U.S. mail or electronic mail.  Department approval for HVHHF operations shall be based on the permittee's compliance with the following:

a)         The permittee shall notify the Department's District Office by phone and electronic mail or letter at least 48 hours before the commencement of high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing operations to enable an inspector to be present (Section 1-75(a)(3) of the Act).  The notification under this subsection shall be notice for all stages of a multiple-stage HVHHF treatment.

b)         Prior to conducting high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing operations at a well site, the permittee shall cause to be plugged all previously abandoned unplugged or insufficiently plugged well bores within 750 feet of any part of the horizontal well bore that penetrated within 400 vertical feet of the geologic formation that will be stimulated as part of the high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing operations (Section 1-95(b) of the Act). In determining whether a well has been sufficiently plugged, the Department will consider, but is not limited to, well completion reports, cementing records, well construction records, cement bond logs, tracer surveys, oxygen activation logs and plugging records. Plugging under this subsection shall be performed as required by Section 245.1010.

c)         Baseline water quality sampling of all water sources within 1,500 feet of the well site must be completed pursuant to Section 245.600(b).

d)         All tests required by the following Sections shall be conducted:

1)         Section 245.540: well casing internal mechanical integrity tests (see Sections 1-75(b)(1) and 1-70(d)(16) of the Act);

2)         Section 245.580: formation integrity tests (see Sections 1-75(b)(1) and 1-70(d)(18) of the Act);

3)         Section 245.805: hydraulic fracturing string pressure tests, if required (see Sections 1-75(b)(1) and 1-70(d)(17) of the Act);

4)         Section 245.810: surface equipment pressure tests (see Section 1-75(b)(2) of the Act); and

5)         All information previously requested by the Department shall be supplied to the Department, and any information that was accurate at the time of submission but no longer accurate shall be updated.