LAC 43:XIX.4901. Definitions

A. Unless the context otherwise requires, the words defined in this section shall have the following meanings when found in this order: B. Office—Office of Conservation of the state of Louisiana. C. Commissioner—the commissioner of the Office of Conservation of the state of Louisiana. D. District Manager—the head of any one of the districts of the state under the Office of Conservation and, as used, refers specifically to the manager within whose district the well or wells are located. E. Agent—shall mean the commissioner of the Office of Conservation, a designated representative, the chief geologist, the chief engineer, or any of the district managers or their aides. F. Geothermal Resources— 1. all products of geothermal processes, embracing indigenous steam, hot water, hot brines and geopressured waters excepting, however, waters produced incidental to oil or gas exploration or production; 2. steam and other gases, hot water and hot brines resulting from water, gas or other fluids artificially introduced into geothermal and/or geopressured water formations; 3. heat, natural gas dissolved in formation water or which was dissolved in formation water and is produced at the geothermal and/or geopressured well bore, or other associated energy found in geothermal and/or geopressured water formations; 4. any by-product derived therefrom. G. Geothermal By-Product—any mineral or minerals, excluding oil and natural gas, which are found in solution or in association with a geothermal resource and which have a value less than seventy-five percent of the value of the total geothermal resource if utilized or not because of the quantity, quality or technical difficulties in extraction and production of sufficient value to warrant extraction and production by themselves or which production would waste or not fully utilize the geothermal resource. H. Geothermal Lease—a contract by which the lessee is granted the right for exploration, drilling, development, production and distribution of geothermal resources and by-products. I. Geothermal Operation—the exploration for, drilling for, development of, production of, and distribution of geothermal resources. J. Geothermal Well—a well whose principal production is geothermal resources. K. Well—when used alone in these rules and regulations, shall mean any well bore used for study of or development of geothermal resources. L. Completion—a geothermal well shall be considered completed when geothermal resources are produced or capable of being produced through the wellhead. M. Waste—the development of a geothermal resource which results in an appreciable reduction in the total energy which would ultimately be recoverable under prudent and proper operation. N. Pollution—such contamination or other alteration of the physical, chemical, or biological properties of any waters of the State, including change in temperature, taste, color, turbidity, or odor of the waters; or such discharge of any liquid, gaseous, solid, radioactive, or other substance into any waters of the State as will or is likely to create a nuisance or render such water harmful, detrimental, or injurious to public health, safety, or welfare, or to domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, recreational, or other beneficial uses, or to livestock, wild animals, birds, fish, or other aquatic life. O. Waters of the State—all waters within the jurisdiction of this State, including all streams, lakes, ponds, impounding reservoirs, marshes, water courses, waterways, wells, springs, irrigation systems, drainage systems, and all other bodies or accumulations of water, surface and underground, natural or artificial, public or private, situated wholly or partly within or bordering upon the State, excepting waters and sewage systems, treatment works of disposal systems, water and potable water distribution systems, and water withdrawn for use until such time as all uses and final treatment have been completed. P. Reservoir—one or more aquifers containing the geothermal resource. Q. Field—the general geothermal resource area which is underlain or appears to be underlain by a reservoir as defined herein. R. Owner—the person who has the right to drill into and to produce from a reservoir and to appropriate the production either for himself or others. S. Subsidence—the net lowering in elevation of the land surface during a specified time interval, usually calculated as a change in elevation of benchmarks between successive surveys. This may be the composite change resulting from various natural and man-made causes. (B.E. Lofgren, 1977, Background studies for appraising subsidence in the Texas Gulf Coast Region. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-412 in cooperation with ERDA, p. 8) T. Allowable—the daily production rate of water measured in U.S. gallons, and allocations shall be made for each well and/or reservoir by the Commissioner of Conservation for the State of Louisiana. U. All other words used herein shall be given their usual customary and accepted meaning, and all words of a technical nature, or peculiar to the geothermal industry, shall be given that meaning which is generally accepted in said geothermal industry or, in the alternative, the oil and gas industry.