Design & Permitting a Commercial Produced Water Recycling Facility

ENVIROTECH ENGINEERING & CONSULTING, INC. provided services associated with the design and permitting of a Commercial Produced Water Recycling Facility per Texas Administrative Code Title 16 Part 1, Ch. 4B Division 6 Stationary Commercial Recycling of Fluid as well as the H-11 Permits for Commercial Pits. The facility was a Commercial Recycle Facility being used and operated based on the rules under Texas Administrative Code and the Railroad Commission (RRC) of Texas. The facility accepts produced water subject to the jurisdiction of the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) and treats/recycles the fluids into brine water for reuse in the oil and gas industry, primarily as fluid during the hydraulic fracturing process.

Services ENVIROTECH provided included:

• Topographical Survey – A topographical survey was a requirement for the design to gather enough data to calculate the cut and fill volumes. It included a site boundary and topographical survey as well as construction staking upon completion of the design plans.
• Preliminary Design – A preliminary design was done which provided a schematic plan for the configuration of the recycle facility. This process allowed the design and treatment firms to size and orient the pit layout to ensure that there was adequate space on the site for the pit and other facility components that were required.
• Geotechnical Investigation – The investigation was conducted to assist in the design process and ensure adherence to the RRC permit requirements. ENVIROTECH provided oversight and personnel to log bores from a 3rd party driller and prepare a summary report of the findings, as well as to document the groundwater conditions at the site. ENVIROTECH provided a report Stamped by a licensed engineer in the State of Texas to include in the final Division 6 Application Submittal.
• Site Suitability – Also provided was a site suitability report for the permit package to show that this facility poses no hazards to the surrounding environment. The site suitability detailed the subsurface geology, drainage, floodplain, and groundwater conditions as detailed in 4.280 and 4.288 of the above referenced Commercial Recycle Facility rules.
• Design and Construction Plans –The design phase included grading plans, earthwork specifications, liner, leak detection plans, and specifications. It included all data needed to meet the engineering design criteria of Section 4.289 as well providing sufficient data for construction. In addition to meeting the regulatory requirements ENVIROTECH also uses our extensive experience to provide suggestions to keep construction cost low, ease of maintenance and maintain quality infrastructure. The final design included any owner requested specifics for piping inlets and outlets to maintain the liner integrity. The design package also included earthwork and liner quantities to aid in the bidding process. ASTs, storage pits, geosynthetic liner, HDPE primary liner, HDPE secondary liner were a part of the plans. A commercial fluid recycle permit application was included. A stormwater management plan used during construction was also a part of these services.
• Permitting – In addition to the survey, geotech, site suitability, and engineered design; ENVIROTECH prepared the full permit package for submittal to the RRC. The submittal required detailed flow diagrams and schematics for the produced water treatment process.
• Operation and Maintenance Plan: This plan addressed facility management and facility operations and maintenance.

QA/QC – ENVIROTECH is in process of providing on-site QA/QC and project management services associated with the treatment process and geosynthetics. ENVIROTECH provided daily reports of construction and liner activity and issued a letter certification of the liner system.