Produced Water Disposal & Treatment
The Produced Water Disposal & Treatment Permitting group is responsible for permitting facilities that treat water generated from coal bed methane, oil or gas production. Road or land application projects and commercial oilfield wastewater disposal facilities are also permitted by this group.
These permits use the standard construction permitting process described on the Obtaining a Permit tab above and frequently use the Pilot Plant general permit. The Permitting Guidelines for Treatment of Produced Water document lists additional criteria for these permits.
Additional permitting may be required for surface water (WYPDES Program) or groundwater (Groundwater Pollution Control (GPC) Program) discharges of produced water.
When no other alternative is reasonably available for disposal of limited quantities of wastewater or exploration and production-exempt oily wastes, applicants may apply for a Road Application of Waste or Wastewater permit. See “Permitting Forms and Information” tab.
Commercial oilfield wastewater disposal facilities (COWDF) can accept some exploration and production wastes, depending on the nature of the waste. See the “Permitting Forms and Information” tab for a list and a map of active COWDFs, and Certificate of Completion and Permit Transfer of Ownership forms.
Water Quality Rules Chapter 14 requires financial assurance for COWDFs for closure and post-closure inspection, maintenance, and environmental monitoring. Visit https://deq.wyoming.gov/administration/bonding/ for bonding-specific forms and instructions.