62C-28.004. Production and Production Facilities

(1) Production Measurement. All production, prior to sales or commingling with another production, shall be measured in accordance with generally accepted industry standards and practices. Casinghead gas, when produced in quantities insufficient for sale, may be estimated by using gas/oil ratios obtained from periodic well tests or other suitable means. Saltwater may be measured anytime prior to disposal or injection. See Rule 62C-25.008, F.A.C., for reporting requirements.

(2) Spill Prevention and Clean Up Plan (SPCP). Every person operating a well or field in Florida shall devise and submit to the Department a plan designed to prevent spills of crude oil and associated fluids and to expeditiously remove these fluids from the environment should a spill occur. These plans must be field specific and, where more than one operator exists in a field, must be coordinated with each of the other operators. In such cases, one plan shall be devised and submitted to the Department on behalf of each operator involved. These plans shall be kept current and shall at a minimum identify each potential spill source, outline protective measures taken to avoid a spill at that point, list and show location of equipment to be used in an emergency, and specify what action has been planned to remove each such spill that might occur. Field maps showing wells, flowlines, tank batteries, access roads, treating facilities, gathering lines, and associated facilities must be included and updated as changes occur. Equipment necessary to rapidly control spills and to comply with SPCP’s shall be maintained readily available at all times. See paragraph 62C-26.008(3)(d) and subsection 62C-28.004(7), F.A.C.

(3) Production Facilities and Equipment. All production facilities and related equipment shall be designed and maintained as necessary to prevent pollution. Each piece of equipment, including flowlines, valves, fittings, separators, heater treaters, pumps, coolers, storage tanks, etc., shall be properly maintained to perform its design function and shall be removed from the location when no longer used or useful. High-low pressure and level sensors and shut down devices, pressure relief valves, check valves, gas detection systems, testing schedules and procedures, etc. shall all be designed, tested and operated in accordance with generally accepted industry standards and practices. Housekeeping shall be sufficient to maintain human health, safety, and environmental protection. Bonds and securities required under Rule 62C-26.002, F.A.C., cover production facilities and tank batteries associated with the covered well and cannot be released until these facilities are removed and the sites restored unless the facilities are also covered under a different well security.

(4) Secondary Containment Facilities. All new tank batteries and those renovated subsequent to this rule shall be constructed upon pads certified by a registered professional engineer to be relatively impermeable to hydrocarbon and saltwater spills. These pads shall be surrounded by dikes or fire walls of sufficient size and strength to contain twice the volume of the largest storage tank within the diked area. The containment pads shall be sloped so as to drain surface fluids away from storage tanks and shall be kept clean and free of liquids. Drain lines with locked valves shall be installed through the fire walls at the lowest point of the containment facility but fluids may be drained only in accordance with NPDES and other permits and these rules.

(5) Storage Tanks. Crude oil storage tanks shall be equipped with equalizing overflow lines. Such tanks, when constructed or refurbished subsequent to this rule shall be, unless an exception is granted pursuant to Rule 62C-25.001, F.A.C., installed on foundations above the floor of the containment area so that any leaks can be readily seen immediately around the tanks. Tanks containing sour fluids shall be equipped so that they can be gauged, sampled, and the temperature measured at ground level. All tanks shall be installed, maintained, pressure tested, and protected against corrosion in accordance with generally accepted petroleum industry standards and practices.

(6) Inspections and Reports. The operator shall monitor all equipment and facilities so as to immediately detect any leak which might cause pollution. All unattended facilities equipped with remote controlled and automatic monitoring systems shall be inspected at least every third day; all other facilities shall be inspected daily. All spills shall be reported as required in Rule 62C-28.005, F.A.C.

(7) Control and Removal. Immediate corrective action shall be taken in accordance with the operator’s SPCP to rapidly bring any spill under control and to clean up the site without delay. If a relatively minor spill or a spill of undetermined size occurs adjacent to or beneath permanent structures such as storage tanks, pump foundations, pipelines, etc., and complete excavation is not practical, the Department shall require that the site be monitored for possible ground water contamination. Monitoring includes installation and periodic sampling of monitor wells and/or surface water bodies. If levels of hydrocarbons or dissolved chlorides occur above background levels, continued monitoring or site clean up will be required in accordance with Chapter 62C-770, F.A.C.

(8) Safety and Pollution Control Equipment Testing. All safety, fire, and pollution prevention programs and equipment, facilities, and procedures shall conform to generally accepted industry standards and practices. Diagrams of the gas detection and fire fighting systems together with schedules and procedures for testing safety equipment shall be posted in a prominent place.

Specific Authority 377.22 FS. Law Implemented 377.22 FS. History–New 11-26-81, Formerly 16C-28.04, Amended 6-4-89, 5-12-93, Formerly 16C-28.004, Amended 3-24-96.