§22-6-14 Plats prerequisite to introducing liquids or waste into wells; preparation and contents; notice and information furnished to coal operators, owners or lessees and director; issuance of permit - West Virginia Statutes

§22-6-14. Plats prerequisite to introducing liquids or waste into wells; preparation and contents; notice and information furnished to coal operators, owners or lessees and director; issuance of permits; performance bonds or security in lieu thereof.

(a) Before drilling a well for the introduction of liquids for the purposes provided for in section twenty-five of this article or for the introduction of liquids for the disposal of pollutants or the effluent therefrom on any tract of land, or before converting an existing well for such purposes, the well operator shall have a plat prepared by a registered engineer or licensed land surveyor showing the district and county in which the tract of land is located, the name and acreage of the same, the names of the owners of all adjacent tracts, the proposed or actual location of the well or wells determined by a survey, the courses and distances of such location from two permanent points of land marked on said tract and the number to be given to the well, and shall forward by registered or certified mail the original and one copy of the plat to the director. In addition, the well operator shall provide the following information on the plat or by way of attachment thereto to the director in the manner and form prescribed by the director's rules: (1) The location of all wells, abandoned or otherwise located within the area to be affected; (2) where available, the casing records of all such wells; (3) where available, the drilling log of all such wells; (4) the maximum pressure to be introduced; (5) the geological formation into which such liquid or pressure is to be introduced; (6) a general description of the liquids to be introduced; (7) the location of all water-bearing horizons above and below the geological formation into which such pressure, liquid or waste is to be introduced; and (8) such other information as the director by rule may require.

(b) In the event the tract of land on which said well proposed to be drilled or converted for the purposes provided for in this section is located is known to be underlaid with coal seams, copies of the plat and all information required by this section shall be forwarded by the operator by registered or certified mail to each and every coal operator operating coal seams beneath said tract of land, who has mapped the same and filed such maps with the office of miners' health, safety and training in accordance with chapter twenty-two-a of this code, and the coal seam owner of record and lessee of record, if any, if said owner or lessee has recorded the declaration provided in section thirty-six of this article, and if said owner or lessee is not yet operating said seams beneath said tract of land. With each of such plats, there shall be enclosed a notice (form for which shall be furnished on request by the director) addressed to the director and to each such coal operator, owner or lessee, if any, at their respective addresses, informing them that such plat and notice are being mailed to them, respectively, by registered or certified mail, pursuant to the requirements of this section.

(c) If no objections are made by any such coal operator, owner or lessee, or the director, such proposed drilling or converting of the well or wells for the purposes provided for in this section within thirty days from the receipt of such plat and notice by the director, the same shall be filed and become a permanent record of such location or well, subject to inspection at any time by any interested person, and the director may after public notice and opportunity to comment, issue such permit authorizing the well operator to drill at such location or convert such existing well or wells for the purposes provided for in this section. The notice above provided for may be given to the coal operator by delivering or mailing it by registered or certified mail as above to any agent or superintendent in actual charge of the mines.

(d) A permit to drill a well or wells or convert an existing well or wells for the purposes provided for in this section shall not be issued until all of the bonding provisions required by the provisions of section twelve of this article have been fullycomplied with and all such bonding provisions shall apply to all wells drilled or converted for the purposes provided for in this section as if such wells had been drilled for the purposes provided for in section twelve of this article, except that such bonds shall be conditioned upon full compliance with all laws and rules relating to the drilling of a well or the converting of an existing well for the purposes provided for in said section twenty-five, or introducing of liquids for the disposal of pollutants including the redrilling, deepening, casing, plugging or abandonment of all such wells.