Montana Administrative Code

36.21.801 DEFINITIONS The following definitions shall apply for monitoring well construction: "Abandoned well" means a well whose use has been permanently discontinued. "Annular space" or "annulus" means the space between two concentric tubes or casings, or between the casing and…

36.21.802 EXCLUSIONS Exclusions from these construction standards include the following wells: recovery wells; all wells less than 10 feet deep; vapor detection wells that do not penetrate the water table; lysimeters; neutron tubes; injection wells for the oil and gas industry; h…

36.21.803 MONITORING WELL CONVERSION A well used for monitoring purposes may not be converted to a water supply well, unless it: meets minimum water well construction standards; has board approval; and complies with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation's water rig…

36.21.804 MONITOR WELL CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS The well screen configuration, construction, and type of material used should be based on the in-field environmental and physical conditions. Drilling fluids which will contaminate the aquifer shall not be used. In areas of known cont…

36.21.805 SEAL/MATERIALS The intent of this rule is to provide protection to the ground water at least equal to the soil or rock profile penetrated by the borehole or excavation. More stringent standards set by other local, state, or federal agencies shall be followed when applic…

36.21.806 INSTALLATION OF SEALS In installing and developing a monitoring well, care shall be taken to preserve the natural barriers to groundwater movement between aquifers. All sealing shall be performed by adding the mixture from the bottom of the space to be sealed toward the…

36.21.807 PREVENTION OF CONTAMINATION BY EQUIPMENT Preventive measures shall be performed to ensure against contamination from equipment used to install or sample monitoring wells. Particular care must be exercised when equipment used to install or sample monitoring wells in cont…

36.21.808 SITE PROTECTION AND SECURITY The top of the well shall be fitted with a tight fitting slip cap, threaded plug or cap, or locking cap. Monitoring wells within the radius of influence of a well used as a domestic supply well and hydraulically connected to the aquifer from…

36.21.809 MONITORING WELL REPORTS A licensed monitoring well constructor shall prepare a monitoring well report form for each monitoring well drilled. The monitoring well constructor shall file each well log report (Form No. 603) within 60 days of completion of the well with the …

36.21.810 ABANDONMENT Wells which have not been monitored for more than three years shall be deemed abandoned unless written permission is obtained from the board to maintain the well. Monitoring wells that have outlived their useful purpose shall be abandoned by one of the follo…

36.22.1001 ROTARY DRILLING PROCEDURE Unless altered, modified, or changed by the board for particular common sources of supply, the following rules apply to drilling wells with rotary tools. Suitable and safe surface casing must be used in all wells. Sufficient surface casing mus…

36.22.1002 CABLE DRILLING PROCEDURE Before commencing to drill a well, the operator must construct proper and adequate slush pits according to the plan in the application for permit to drill approved by the board. If cable tools are used, sufficient casing must be set to protect …

36.22.1003 VERTICAL DRILLING REQUIRED - DEVIATION All wells shall be so drilled that the horizontal distance between the bottom of the hole and the location at the top of the hole shall be at all times at a practical minimum unless authorization for controlled directional drillin…

36.22.1004 DUAL COMPLETION OF WELLS No well may be dually completed or dually recompleted without first notifying the board on Form No. 2 and each offset operator in writing at least 10 days prior to the commencement of such completion or recompletion operation, and without appro…

36.22.1005 DRILLING WASTE DISPOSAL AND SURFACE RESTORATION The operator of a drilling well must contain and dispose of all solid waste and produced fluids that accumulate during drilling operations so as not to degrade surface water, groundwater, or cause harm to soils. Said wast…

36.22.101 ORGANIZATIONAL RULE The board of oil and gas conservation organization is described in ARM 36.1.101. Authorizing statute(s): Sec. 2-4-201, MCA Implementing statute(s): Sec. 2-4-201, MCA History: Eff. 12/31/72.

36.22.1010 WORK-OVER, RECOMPLETION, WELL STIMULATION – NOTICE AND APPROVAL No well may be reperforated, recompleted, reworked, chemically stimulated, or hydraulically fractured without first notifying the board on Form No. 2 and receiving approval from the administrator or other …

36.22.1011 WELL COMPLETION AND RECOMPLETION REPORTS Within 30 days after the completion of a well drilled for oil or gas (except a wildcat or exploratory well) , a completion report shall be filed with the board on Form No. 4. Within 30 days after the completion of any repair, de…

36.22.1012 SAMPLES OF CORES AND CUTTINGS Any owner or operator drilling or deepening a well for oil or gas must deliver prepaid to the board at the office stipulated on the approved permit to drill a complete and representative sample of the core chips and a dry, washed set of cu…

36.22.1013 FILING OF COMPLETION REPORTS, WELL LOGS, ANALYSES, REPORTS, AND SURVEYS The owner or operator must run an electrical, radioactivity, or similar petrophysical log or combination of logs sufficient to determine formation tops from total depth to the base of the surface c…

36.22.1014 BLOWOUT PREVENTION AND WELL CONTROL EQUIPMENT Unless otherwise provided for by the permit to drill issued under ARM 36.22.601 and ARM 36.22.602, or by board order issued after public notice and hearing, the owner must provide blowout preventers and well control equipme…

36.22.1015 DISCLOSURE OF WELL STIMULATION FLUIDS The owner or operator of a well shall, upon completion of the well, provide the board, on its Form No. 4 for a new well or Form No. 2 for an existing well: a description of the interval(s) or formation treated; the type of treatmen…

36.22.1016 PROPRIETARY CHEMICALS AND TRADE SECRETS As provided in 30-14-402, MCA, where the formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, process, or composition of a chemical product is unique to the owner or operator or service contractor and would, if disc…

36.22.1101 FIRE HAZARD PREVENTION Any rubbish or debris that might constitute a fire hazard shall be removed to a distance of at least 150 feet from the well site, tanks, and reservoirs. All waste oil shall be burned or disposed of in a manner to avert creating a fire hazard. The…

36.22.1102 FIRE WALLS REQUIRED When it is deemed necessary by the board to protect life, health, or property, the board may require any lease tanks or oil storage tanks to be surrounded by an earthen dike which shall have a capacity of 1 1/2 times the capacity of the tank or tank…

36.22.1103 NOTIFICATION AND REPORT OF EMERGENCIES AND UNDESIRABLE INCIDENTS The owner or operator of a facility must give immediate notice by telephone to an authorized representative of the board and a written report to the board administrator within five working days of any of …

36.22.1104 CONTROL AND CLEANUP The owner or operator must promptly control and clean up any leak, spill, escape, or discharge, regardless of the amount of oil, produced water, water containing more than 15,000 ppm TDS, or gas involved. Authorizing statute(s): Sec. 82-11-111, MCA …

36.22.1105 SOLID WASTE Solid waste associated with oil and gas exploration or production activities must be disposed of according to all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations. Authorizing statute(s): Sec. 82-11-111, MCA Implementing statute(s): Sec. 82-11-123,…

36.22.1106 SAFETY AND WELL CONTROL REQUIREMENTS – HYDRAULIC FRACTURING New and existing wells which will be stimulated by hydraulic fracturing must demonstrate suitable and safe mechanical configuration for the stimulation treatment proposed. Prior to initiation of fracture stimu…

36.22.1201 SURFACE EQUIPMENT Wellhead equipment shall be installed and maintained in satisfactory condition so that static bottom-hole pressures and operating gas-oil ratios may be obtained at any time. Valves shall be installed so that pressures can be readily obtained on both c…

36.22.1202 IDENTIFICATION The owner shall permanently mark all wells, producing properties, and tanks in a conspicuous place with his name, lease name, and, as to a well, number of the well and legal description of the well. Authorizing statute(s): 82-11-111, MCA Implementing sta…

36.22.1203 CHOKES REQUIRED All flowing oil wells shall be equipped with chokes or other adequate control equipment to ensure proper and safe operations during normal production practices. Authorizing statute(s): 82-11-111, MCA Implementing statute(s): 82-11-123, 82-11-124, MCA Hi…

36.22.1204 SEPARATORS REQUIRED (REPEALED) Authorizing statute(s): 82-11-111, MCA Implementing statute(s): 82-11-123, 82-11-124, MCA History: Eff. 12/31/72; REP, 1992 MAR p. 654, Eff. 4/1/92.

36.22.1205 VACUUM PUMPS PROHIBITED The use of vacuum pumps for the purpose of putting a vacuum on any gas or oil-baring stratum is prohibited; however, the board may upon application and for good cause shown permit the use of vacuum pumps. Authorizing statute(s): 82-11-111, MCA I…

36.22.1206 TUBING REQUIRED All flowing oil wells shall be equipped with and produced through tubing, unless the well is a dual completion. Authorizing statute(s): 82-11-111, MCA Implementing statute(s): 82-11-123, 82-11-124, MCA History: Eff. 12/31/72.

36.22.1207 EARTHEN PITS AND OPEN VESSELS Waste oil, oil sludge, tank bottoms, merchantable oil, petroleum products, hazardous wastes, or hazardous or deleterious substances must not be stored, disposed of, or retained in earthen storage pits or in open vessels. The owner or opera…

36.22.1208 PRODUCING FROM DIFFERENT POOLS THROUGH THE SAME CASING No well drilled after January 1, 1954, shall be permitted to produce either oil or gas from different pools through the same string of casing without first receiving written permission from the board, which may req…

36.22.1213 RESERVOIR OR POOL SURVEYS As directed by the board, surveys shall be made of the reservoirs or pools in this state containing oil and gas. These surveys shall be thorough and complete and shall be made by the operator or his agent under the supervision of agents of the…

36.22.1214 SUBSURFACE PRESSURE TESTS If requested by the board, and under the terms and conditions specified, following the completion of each well in any pool whether such well produces oil or gas or both, the owner of such well shall make a subsurface pressure test on such well…

36.22.1215 STABILIZED PRODUCTION TEST If requested by the board, and under the terms and conditions specified, following the completion or recompletion of an oil well, the operator shall file with the board's petroleum engineer at its Billings office the results of a stabilized p…

36.22.1216 GAS-OIL RATIO TESTS If requested by the board, and under the terms and conditions specified, following the completion and recompletion of each well producing oil and either gas or casinghead gas or both, the owner of such well shall make a gas-oil ratio test of such we…

36.22.1217 WATER PRODUCTION REPORT The owner of each well which produces both oil and water shall separately determine the amount of water produced along with the oil each month and shall each month report to the board the quantity of such water produced along with the oil. Such …

36.22.1218 GAS TO BE METERED All gas when produced and sold shall be metered and reported to the board at 14.73 PSIA at 60° Fahrenheit, unless otherwise permitted by the board. Authorizing statute(s): 82-11-111, MCA Implementing statute(s): 82-11-123, MCA History: Eff. 7/16/82; A…

36.22.1219 GAS WASTE PROHIBITED After completion of a gas well, no gas shall be permitted to escape into the air, except that required for periodic testing or cleaning of the well bore. Authorizing statute(s): 82-11-111, MCA Implementing statute(s): 82-11-123, 82-11-124, MCA Hist…

36.22.1220 ASSOCIATED GAS FLARING LIMITATION – APPLICATION TO EXCEED – BOARD REVIEW AND ACTION If the average daily gas production exceeds 100 MCFG and the operator intends to flare or otherwise waste the associated gas, the well may not produce more than an average of 100 MCFG p…

36.22.1221 BURNING OF WASTE GAS REQUIRED All gas vented to the atmosphere at a rate exceeding 20 MCF per day for a period in excess of 72 hours shall be burned. All operators of well venting any quantity of gas containing 20 parts per million or more of hydrogen sulfide (H Any op…

36.22.1222 HYDROGEN SULFIDE GAS The owner or operator of an oil or gas well drilled after the effective date of this rule that produces more than 20 MCF of gas per day containing more than 20 parts per million hydrogen sulfide must submit a hydrogen sulfide gas report to the boar…

36.22.1223 FENCING, SCREENING, AND NETTING OF PITS Open storage vessels, earthen pits, or ponds that contain oil must be fenced, screened, and netted. Open receptacles, earthen pits, or ponds that contain produced water with more than 15,000 parts per million total dissolved soli…

36.22.1226 DISPOSAL OF WATER Produced water containing 15,000 parts per million (ppm) or less total dissolved solids (TDS) may be retained and disposed of in any manner allowed by law that does not degrade surface waters or groundwater or cause harm to soils. Produced water conta…

36.22.1227 EARTHEN PITS AND PONDS No person shall construct or use an earthen pit or pond in association with a production facility without first obtaining a permit from the board. Such earthen pits or ponds that exist prior to the effective date of this rule must be permitted or…