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ASSOCIATES
Project Description
OXY USA WTP LP
Pond 13 E/W
Centralized E&P Waste Management Facility
OA Project No. 013-0655
760 Horizon Drive, Suite 102 TEL 970.263.7800
Grand Junction, CO 81506
FAX 970.263.7456 www.olssonassociates.com
CY\ OLSSON
ASSOCIATES
OXY USA WTP LP
Pond 13 East and West Centralized E&P Waste Management Facility
Project Narrative (Expanded)
Project Location and Background
OXY USA WTP LP (Oxy) requests approval to convert their existing Pond 13 East (Facility ID
414403) and Pond 13 West (Facility ID 414404) multi -well production pits into a Centralized
Exploration and Production (E&P) Waste Management Facility (Facility). Per the Garfield
County Unified Land Use Resolution, Oxy is requesting a Limited Impact Review (LIR) permit
for "Materials Handling and Water Impoundment". The project area is situated in the Resource
Land -Plateau zone district. The water to be handled at this facility is produced from drilling,
completion and production operations associated with natural gas wells within Oxy's Cascade
Creek Operations. Water that is produced from these operations is classified as an exploration
and production (E&P) waste by the COGCC. Pursuant to COGCC Rule 908, this facility will
also be permitted as a Centralized E&P Waste Management Facility with the COGCC. The
existing produced water impoundments are currently permitted as a Form 15 use by the
COGCC. Oxy is pursuing permitting for the existing water impoundments as E&P Waste
Management facilities and is in the process of submitting a Form 28 to the COGCC for their
review. All water stored at this location will be from a nontributary water source within the
Williams Fork Formation.
The Ponds are located in the NE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 and the SE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 4,
Township 6 South, Range 97 West, of the 6th Principal Meridian, in unincorporated Garfield
County, Colorado.
The proposed Facility will allow for effective reuse of water volumes to conserve resources,
improve safety and environmental exposure, and reduce costs. The goal of this water
impoundment project is to conserve water by recycling flow -back and produced water for reuse
in well stimulations or drilling. The ability to temporarily store water at this location has several
key benefits:
• Reduced trucking/improved safety
• Use of engineering controlled transfer system
• Reduction in volumes of disposed water sent off site
• Conservation of freshwater
760 Horizon Drive, Suite 102 TEL 970.263.7800
Grand Junction, CO 81506
FAX 970.263.7456 www.olssonassociates.com
OXY USA WTP LP
Pond 13 E/W Centralized E&P Waste Management Facility
• Reduced road maintenance
• Reduction in overall development and operating cost
Details of this request along with the information required by Garfield County's (GarCo) LIR
application are provided within the context of this submittal.
Since this application is to convert an existing production pond into a Centralized E&P Waste
Management Facility, no proposed Facility structures, access roads, or surface water diversion
structures will be required. The Facility has been constructed to contain 121,480 barrels of
produced water which does not include the required two feet of freeboard, 68,010 barrels for
Pond 13 East and 53,470 barrels for Pond 13 West. The Facility utilizes a 60 -mil high-density
polyethylene (HDPE) liner and a geocomposite base liner to provide sufficient bedding material
for the liner. Once the Facility is approved by the COGCC for conversion, Oxy will install a leak
detection system and a second 60 -mil HDPE liner. The leak detection system will allow for fluid
monitoring between the two HDPE liners at the Facility.
In addition to the water impoundment, storage areas as depicted on the site plan are being
requested. The proposed storage area will be utilized to store equipment and supplies on-site
for convenient access as needed for Oxy's natural gas drilling and production activities.
Hazardous materials will not be stored at this location. The proposed use will not require
additional surface disturbance. Oxy employees and contractors will be on-site for short intervals
picking up or dropping off supplies. Sanitation facilities and office space have not been
proposed. Portable toilets are provided throughout the area for use by field employees.
Project Description Page 2