Fountain Valley Municipal Code Ch. 16.16 Drilling and Operating

(a) No oil well shall be drilled within one hundred fifty feet of the right-of-way of any existing public street, alley or highway, nor within one hundred fifty feet of the ultimate right-of-way line of any highway shown on the master plan of arterial highways, nor within one hundred fifty feet of the nearest rail of a railway which carries passengers for hire.

(b) No oil well shall be drilled within one hundred fifty feet of any building used for human occupancy, nor shall any such buildings be erected within one hundred fifty feet of any oil well not abandoned, except buildings incidental to the operation of the well. No oil well shall be drilled within one hundred fifty feet from the outer boundary line.

(c) No oil well shall be drilled within three hundred feet of any building used as a place of public assemblage, institution, or school; nor shall any such building be erected within three hundred feet of any oil well not abandoned.

(d) In any area adjacent to an existing oil well, the superintendent may suspend any provisions of subsection A in whole or in part, or impose less restrictive requirements if such provisions or requirements are rendered unnecessary or unreasonable by the then-existing special features, such as: topography, nature of the use and occupancy of and the proximity to buildings on adjoining property, the height, character and structure of such buildings, the type and character of oil field development, and may impose additional safety requirements rendered necessary because of such special features.

(Ord. 27, 1959)

Prior to commencement of any drilling operations, all private roads used for access to the drill site and the drill site itself shall be surfaced by clean, crushed rock, gravel or decomposed granite, or oiled, and maintained to prevent dust and mud.

In particular cases these requirements governing surfacing of private roads and drill sites may be altered at the discretion of the superintendent after consideration of all of the circumstances including but not limited to distances from public streets and highways, distances from adjoining and nearby property owners whose surface rights are not leased by the operator and the purposes for which the property of such owners are or may be used, topographical features, nature of the soil and exposure to wind.

(Ord. 27, 1959)

All derricks and masts hereafter erected for drilling or redrilling shall be at least equivalent to the American Petroleum Institute Standards 4A, 14th Edition and 4D, 3rd Edition.

(Ord. 27, 1959)

A sign having a surface area of not less than two square feet and no more than six square feet bearing the current name and number of the well and the name or insignia of the operator shall be displayed at all times from the commencement of drilling operations until the well is abandoned. In the event there are more than two producing wells on one leasehold, it shall be sufficient if the entrances to said leasehold are posted with a sign not less than eighteen inches by twenty-four inches bearing the name of the operator, together with the name or designation of the lease, together with an openly visible sign on each producing well designating the particular number thereof.

(Ord. 27, 1959)

Protection shall be provided to prevent the blow-out of an oil well, during drilling and redrilling operations and shall conform to the requirements of the state of California, Petroleum Safety Orders—Drilling and Production Section 6691 of the Administrative Code of California.

(Ord. 27, 1959)

(a) Protection shall be provided to prevent the blow-out of an oil well, conforming to the requirements of the state of California Safety Orders-Drilling and Production Section 6692 of the Administrative Code of California in the following cases:

A. During perforating, shooting or cutting off a string of casing;

B. During well servicing operations on a well that is known to have sufficient gas pressure to cause the well to flow, or where the gas pressure is unknown.

(b) The operator shall notify the superintendent, in writing, at least one day before any of the operations described in this subsection are commenced. In the event that the day following the day on which notice be given falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, then such additional days notice must be given as may be required so that there shall be one day, Saturday, Sunday and holidays excepted, between the date notice be given and any of the said operations commenced.

(Ord. 27, 1959)

Rotary mud, drill cuttings, oil field waste, oil or liquid hydrocarbons and all other oil field wastes derived or resulting from, or connected with the drilling of any well shall be discharged into a sump hole or steel tank. Such drill cuttings, rotary mud, and drilling waste materials shall be removed from the drill site upon completion of drilling operations. Tanks used as and for sump purposes shall be removed from the drill site and sump holes shall be drained and back filled within thirty days from and after completion of drilling.

(Ord. 27, 1959)

All sumps or sump holes and all oil well production equipment having unguarded external moving parts hazardous to life or limb shall be attended twenty-four hours per day or be enclosed by a steel chain link type fence not less than six feet in height and in addition having not less than three strands of barbed wire sloping outward at approximately a forty-five degree angle and for eighteen inches from the top of the fence. There shall be no aperture below such fence greater than four inches. Fence gates shall be placed at nonhazardous locations and shall be locked at all times when unattended by a watchman or service man.

(Ord. 27, 1959)

The following regulations shall apply to cellars:

(1) Every cellar shall be constructed in accordance with Chapters 23, 26 and 33 of the Uniform Building Code, adopted by the board of supervisors of the county of Orange as Ordinance No. 922 of said county.

(2) Such cellars shall be kept free from water, oil drilling fluids, or other substances which might constitute a hazard, except during drilling and servicing operations.

(3) The depth of such cellars shall be the vertical measurement between the lowest point of the floor area in the bottom of such cellar and the lowest point of ground or any surface adjacent to the top of the cellar wall.

(4) All multi-well cellars exceeding three feet in depth and twenty-five feet in length shall have two separate means of exit or entrance. If the cellar exceeds fifty feet in length, one of the means of entrance or exit shall be a stairway. If the cellar exceeds two hundred feet in length, a third means of entrance or exit shall be provided.

(5) Multi-well cellars shall have a steel grate covering with no unobstructed openings in excess of three inches. Materials, equipment, or other appurtenances shall not be stored or placed on the grating so as to interfere with the escape of gases and vapors.

(Ord. 27, 1959)

All drilling equipment and the derrick shall be removed from the premises within sixty days following the completion, abandonment or desertion of any well. Once the well is a producing well, it shall be serviced with a portable derrick when required. Drilling operations shall be diligently prosecuted until the well is completed or abandoned.

(Ord. 27, 1959)

Soundproofing acoustical blankets for the drilling derrick and accessory structures shall be: fibrous glass insulation one and one-half inch thick, 0.50 pounds per cubic foot, density, .063 pounds per square foot, weight, .00010 to .00015 fiber diameter limit of four hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit sewed between layers of fire retardant, vinyl fiberglass cloth, 15-17 ounces per square yard sewed with Dacron thread D-92 with stitches not more than six to the inch. The lacing cord shall be flat vinyl coated tape composed of fibrous glass yarn braided, heat set and bonded. The tape shall have a ninety pound tensile strength. Grommets shall be No. 4 brass.

All doors and similar openings shall be kept closed, during drilling operations, except for ingress and egress.

(Ord. 27, 1959)