A Marshall County landowner is looking for answers after noticing rules were being broken by a drilling company. Jayson Pruitt noticed an oilfield drilling company had dug a pit for waste drilling fluids on his father’s land July 2021.
A pit is common for such practices; however, this pit was different. It was unlined, and an unlined pit is a violation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. This was not the first time Pruitt noticed an unlined pit on the property.
Pruitt first noticed an unlined pit in February of 2020. At that time, Pruitt took pictures and reached out to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality who referred him to the OCC. Pruitt said nothing was really done at that point.
“No one came out for a site inspection and stated that only a cursory phone call was made to the oil company,” Pruitt said. “No action was taken, and the site was closed August 2020.”
Recently, Pruitt noticed Cholla Petroleum Inc, based in Dallas, Texas had dug yet another pit. This pit, also unlined, had oil waste in the pit and surrounding areas. Pruitt filed another formal complaint with OCC and received an answer.
This time, OCC forwarded the report from the investigator. The report stated: “Pit to be lined before any further use. Field Inspector will revisit site on Monday, August 2, 2021. Before Closure of Pit, all affected areas are to be remediated. Field Inspector is to be notified to witness closure. Any further use of an unlined pit may result in contempt charges.”
OCC guidelines state that any pit on or off site used for storage or handling of drilling fluids or any or deleterious fluids or any substance produced, obtained, or used in connection with the drilling and/or operation of a well or wells must have a liner in any earthen pit. Pruitt was aware of this and luckily noticed the violation early enough to prevent any further use of the unlined pit.
It would seem that this practice could be easily taken advantage of it not for landowners being aware and at least observing such operations. Use of unlined pits have proven to contaminate surface waters and run-off water, as well as underground intrusion into drinking water.
Is the reporting of such violations entirely up to land owners or can it be expected that all drilling companies and state agencies are always on top of these issues? According to Pruitt and his documentation, that may not be the case. Calls to Cholla Petroleum remained unanswered as of press time. The state OCC office is available for any person to contact and report any matter or any Oil Field company suspected of operating outside of state guidelines.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission can be reached at –OCC.ok.gov, via email or by telephone (405)521-2211. The OCC website is very informative, and provides a wealth of information and a road map to inform the OCC authorities of such suspected violators.