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	UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
	REGION IX
	75 Hawthorne Street
	San Francisco, CA  94105



								5/26/2010
MEMORANDUM

SUBJECT: 	Crude oil produced water ponds in San Joaquin Valley

FROM: 	Joanne Wells, Rules Office, EPA Region IX

TO: 		File


The purpose of this memorandum is to document a telephone conversation with Doug Watchell on May 26, 2010, Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board regarding the status of crude oil produced water ponds in San Joaquin Valley. 

Doug stated that a significant number of sumps and ponds in the San Joaquin Valley have been closed since 1990s, even in the last 10 years. The RWQCB has closed more than 600 acres of ponds. Pond closure, under Title 27, requires the operator to remove the sludge and to backfill to grade. 

A number of the large pond systems, such as those in the North Bellridge Oil Field, stopped receiving wastewater in 2007, so they are just now completing closure. He noted that a few of the ponds would remain to be used for emergency spill containment at the oil producing facilities. A number of oil producers are using underground injection to dispose of the water produced during oil production in place of the ponds. 

Doug also noted that ponds in the Elk Hills Oil Fields are isolated from a usable aquifer therefore those ponds are being allowed to continue to operate by RWQCB. 



