COGCC Rule 609 Protects our Water
DIG provides critical analysis
What is COGCC Rule 609?
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) developed Rule 609 to set a chemical baseline for groundwater quality prior to the drilling of an oil and gas well.
If you plan to drill an oil and gas well in Colorado, it is important to both you and the State of Colorado that the water quality in the near subsurface is clearly established before you drill the hole.
The State requires that you select four nearby groundwater sources (groundwater wells) within a 1/2 mile of your planned hole location and analyze the water for quality.
Once you have collected your water samples, you should analyze those waters for its quality.
You will establish water quality by analyzing multiple analytes that are important to all stakeholders. You will also establish whether there is gas dissolved in the water.
It is important to establish this baseline for everyone. Once analyses are complete, monitoring changes in concentration of the analytes or the gases is now possible.
Importantly, if free gas or a dissolved methane is detected in a concentration greater than 1.0 mg/L, stable isotope analysis is run to determine the source of the gas.
This is where DIG can help. We conduct these stable isotope analyses.
There are many requirements the when and the how of sampling must be conducted but basically you want to establish the quality of the water before you drill the well and during production of the well.
Results of these analyses are provided back to the COGCC and are available to the public.
Many other states have similar regulations. Contact us today and let us help guide your workflow.
Dive into the Deep End of Rule 609
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Rule 609 Helpful Links:
609. STATEWIDE GROUNDWATER BASELINE SAMPLING AND MONITORING:
Arthur W. Koepsell provides a helpful review:
https://cogcc.state.co.us/COGIS_Help/SampleData.pdf
Chris Canfield provides a helpful presentation:
https://www.coloradomesa.edu/water-center/documents/NewCOGCCGroundwaterRules.pdf
Colorado Oil And Gas Association provides a helpful Fact Sheet:
https://www.coga.org/factsheets/groundwater
University of Denver Water Law Review:
http://duwaterlawreview.com/groundwater-sampling-rules-in-colorado/