[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 109 (Thursday, June 7, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 31579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-11034]
[[Page 31579]]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8323-3]
Final NPDES General Permit for Discharges From the Oil and Gas
Extraction Point Source Category to Coastal Waters in Texas (TXG330000)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of NPDES General Permit Reissuance.
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SUMMARY: EPA Region 6 today issues a National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) general permit regulating discharges from
oil and gas wells in the Coastal Subcategory in Texas and regulating
produced water discharges from wells in the Stripper and Offshore
Subcategories which discharge into coastal waters of Texas.
The general permit prohibits the discharge of drilling fluid, drill
cuttings, produced sand and well treatment, completion and workover
fluids. Produced water discharges are prohibited, except from wells in
the Stripper Subcategory located east of the 98th meridian whose
produced water comes from the Carrizo/Wilcox, Reklaw or Bartosh
formations in Texas. Monitoring for oil and grease and total dissolved
solids is required for those produced water discharges. Discharge of
dewatering effluent is prohibited, except from reserve pits which have
not received drilling fluids and/or drill cuttings since January 15,
1997. The discharge of deck drainage, formation test fluids, sanitary
waste, domestic waste and miscellaneous discharges is authorized.
A copy of the Region's final permit may be obtained from the EPA
Region 6 Internet site: http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6wq/6wq.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Diane Smith, Water Quality
Protection Division, Region 6, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75202-2733, telephone: (214) 665-7191,
or via e-mail at: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulated entities. EPA intends to use the
reissued permit to regulate oil and gas extraction facilities located
in the coastal waters of Texas, e.g., oil and gas extraction platforms,
but other types of facilities may also be subject to the permit. The
permit authorizes some produced water discharges from Stripper
Subcategory wells to coastal waters. To determine whether your
facility, company, business, organization, etc., may be affected by
today's action, you should carefully examine the applicability criteria
in Part I, Section A.1 of the draft permit. Questions on the permit's
application to specific facilities may also be directed to Ms. Smith at
the telephone number or address listed above.
The permit contains limitations conforming to EPA's Oil and Gas
extraction, Coastal and Stripper Subcategory Effluent Limitations
Guidelines at 40 CFR Part 435 as well as requirements assuring that
regulated discharges will comply with Texas State Water Quality
Standards. Specific information on the derivation of those limitations
and conditions is contained in the fact sheet.
Pursuant to section 402 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), 33 U.S.C.
1342, EPA proposed and solicited comments on NPDES general permit
TXG330000 at 71 FR 78204 (December 28, 2006). Notice of the proposed
permit modification was also published in the Houston Chronicle on
December 30, 2006 and the Corpus Christi Caller on January 5, 2007. The
comment period closed on February 20, 2007. No comments were received
on the proposed permit; therefore, no changes have been made in the
final permit.
Dated: May 31, 2007.
Miguel I. Flores,
Director, Water Quality Protection Division, Region 6.
[FR Doc. E7-11034 Filed 6-6-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P