Corona Municipal Code Ch. 14.28 Abandonment

Immediately upon completion of drilling or redrilling operations of an oil well, the permittee shall notify the Agency of such completion, and the permittee, its agents or employees shall immediately remove from the leasehold or property all oil rags, waste material and debris placed therein by the permittee during its operations and shall repair any and all damage done by it to sidewalks, alleys, parkways, streets and public rights-of-way relating to the operations and shall remove all oil and debris which may have collected on the property by reason of such operations.

(`78 Code, § 14.28.010.)

It shall be the responsibility of the Secretary to determine whether the drill site and all facilities pertinent thereto have been restored as nearly as practicable to their original condition and in conformity with the regulations of this title, including, but not limited to, the requirements contained in §§ 14.28.030 through 14.28.050.

(`78 Code, § 14.28.020.)

(A) It shall be the responsibility of the operator to comply with the abandonment provisions of this chapter, and he or she shall furnish the Secretary:

(2) A copy of the approval of the State Division of Oil and Gas, Department of Natural Resources, confirming compliance with all abandonment proceedings under state law; and

(2) A notice of intention to abandon under the provisions of this chapter, the notice stating the date and time such work will be commenced.

(B) Abandonment may then be commenced on or subsequent to the time and date so stated.

(`78 Code, § 14.28.030.)

Abandonment shall be approved by the Secretary after restoration of the drill site and its subsurface has been accomplished in conformity with the following requirements:

(A) The derrick and all appurtenant equipment thereto shall be removed from the drill site;

(B) All tanks, towers and other surface installations shall be removed from the drill site;

(C) All concrete, pipe, wood and other foreign materials shall be removed from the drill site to a depth of six feet below grade unless they constitute a part of a multi-well cellar being used in connection with any other well for which a permit has been issued;

(D) The oil well casing shall be cut off at the bottom of the cellar or, if there is no cellar, five feet below the drill site grade at the cellar. Nothing shall be placed in the excavation above the point of cut-off until the cut-off has been inspected by the Secretary and found to comply with all applicable provisions of law;

(E) The top 25 feet of the remaining casing shall be filled with a cement plug to prevent gas fumes from escaping;

(F) A steel cap of not less than the same thickness of the casing shall be welded to the casing around the entire circumference of the well casing;

(G) All holes and depressions shall be filled and compacted to 90% with native earth. All oil, waste oil, refuse or waste material shall be removed from the drill site.

(`78 Code, § 14.28.040.)

A well may be converted to a domestic or agricultural water well after:

(A) The original or a certified copy of an approved conversion permit from the State Division of Oil and Gas has been furnished the Secretary;

(B) All the regulations controlling abandonment have been complied with, except those appurtenances necessary for the operation of a water well may be retained; and

(C) In the case of a domestic conversion, after the city’s Public Health Officer has approved the conversion and use for domestic purposes.

(`78 Code, § 14.28.050.)