R 324.1404 Ground water baseline sampling for high volume hydraulic fracturing.

Rule 1404. (1) A permit applicant or permittee of an oil and gas well for which high volume hydraulic fracturing is proposed shall collect baseline samples from all available water sources, up to a maximum of 10, within a 1/4- mile radius of the well location. All of the following apply: (a) If more than 10 available water sources are present within a 1/4- mile radius of the proposed well location, the permit applicant or permittee shall select 10 sampling locations based on the following criteria: (i) Available water sources closest to the proposed well location are preferred. (ii) To the extent groundwater flow direction is known or reasonably can be inferred, sample locations from both down gradient and up-gradient are preferred over cross- gradient locations. Where groundwater flow direction is uncertain, sample locations should be chosen in a radial pattern from a well. (iii) Where multiple defined aquifers are present, sampling the deepest and shallowest identified aquifers is preferred. (b) Initial sampling shall be conducted not fewer than 7 days nor more than 6 months before initiation of drilling operations for a new well or in the case of a re-completion of a well, high volume hydraulic fracturing using new or existing perforations. However, initial sampling shall satisfy sampling requirements for subsequent oil and gas wells on the same or contiguous drilling sites for a period of up to 3 years. (c) Sampling and analysis shall be conducted at the expense of the permit applicant or permittee and shall conform to all of the following procedures: (i) Water samples shall be collected by a qualified professional utilizing proper sampling protocol and analyzed by a laboratory certified by the department. (ii) Samples shall be analyzed for the following minimum parameters using laboratory methods approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency: (A) Benzene. (B) Toluene. (C) Ethylbenzene. (D) Xylene. (E) Total dissolved solids. (F) Chloride. (G) Methane. (iii) The location of the sampled water sources shall be surveyed with a global positioning system device or equivalent with 3 meter or higher accuracy. The latitude and longitude coordinates shall be provided to the supervisor. (iv) If free gas or a dissolved methane concentration greater than 1.0 milligram per liter is detected in a water sample, gas compositional analysis and stable isotope analysis of the methane (carbon and hydrogen – 12C, 13C, 1H and 2H) shall be performed to identify gas origin. (v) The permit applicant or permittee shall notify the supervisor immediately if benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, or xylenes are detected in a water sample. (2) The permittee shall provide copies of all final laboratory analytical results to the supervisor and the water well owner or landowner within 45 days of collecting the samples.