Tampa Bay Estuary Program’s Post

For orphan well policy wonks, here are the comments EDF just submitted to the Department of Interior's Orphaned Wells Program Office -- they are looking for guidance on Regulatory Improvement Grants to states for upgrades to financial assurance, idle well management, well transfer and technical plugging rules designed to reduce future orphaned well burden. States are eligible for up to $40m per state for such advances, in addition to a $30m/state matching fund for increased state orphan well closure spending. DOI will be developing the guidance over the next few months. EDF is optimistic that this additional funding will help to close existing orphaned wells across the country while reducing the volume and impact of new ones.

Last week, the State of Texas – a neighbor to Sovereign Pipe Technologies – voted in favor of Proposition 6, the creation of the Texas Water Fund. This fund is a critical component of working to ensure Texans have clean water. As you know, our water doesn’t just ‘show up’ in the sinks, drinking fountains, etc., and the Texas State Legislature understands how vital infrastructure is, making it the number one priority of this new Fund. The water infrastructure projects are prioritized by risk or need, rural political subdivisions, and municipalities with a population of less than 150,000. These projects are an ideal match for Sovereign Pipe Technologies’s HDPE water-related products.  We will continue to work closely with our distribution partners and the various governmental entities that oversee water infrastructure to ensure they have the right product to meet their needs. Once again, this is an excellent example of everyone working collaboratively to build tomorrow’s infrastructure Today. The Texas Water Board Proposition 6 FAQ can be found via this link:  https://lnkd.in/gq7TQSKa. Sovereign Pipe Technologies: Building Tomorrow’s Infrastructure Today #WaterInfrastructure #TexasProposition6 #HDPEPipes

New CIRIA guidance Siphons in dams – design, installation, operation, management and testing (C813), explores the design and installation of retrofitted siphons at reservoirs. Join our upcoming webinar to learn more about this new guidance and gain valuable insights from key representatives of UK water utilities, consultancies, and the guide's authors. www.ciria.org/siphons #Siphons #EnvironmentalEngineering

Update Part II – Texas RRC implements Planned restriction on Deep Injection in Culberson SRA This one will probably come as no surprise to those of you following things closely. The Texas RRC announced Tuesday December 19th an outright ban on Deep Disposal in the Culberson SRA effective January 12, 2024. Starting January 12, 2024, about 215,000 BPD of produced water will be looking for a new outlet. Actually the number is lower, as 215,000 was the average daily rate throughout year to date, according to RRC data. EnergyMaker’s showed about 106,000 BPD was injecting most recently, as operators had decreased injection volumes substantially over more recent months. A rough loss for those operators and SWD owners who invested so heavily in these deep expensive assets! The announcement was anticipated; the RRC projected this action approximately one year ago as part of its seismic response plan, and we among others projected the high likelihood the “triggering” earthquake event (a 4.5 M or greater in the next 19 months…) would occur. And it did. So here we are. Our industries’ midstream network is about to be stressed; there is a need for long-term strategic thinking and cross-collaboration throughout this critical supply chain! Beneficial Reuse needs to be accelerated, too.  #producedwater #permianbasin #inducedseismicity #oilandgas #beneficialreuse #mistream #energy #sustainability #watermanagement Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays friends! Wishing a calm and uneventful 2024 for us all! Zacariah Hildenbrand Ph.D. Xandra Turner, PE Whitney Dobson Walt Parmer Wally Georgie Steven Roeder Steve Coffee Shane Walker Saada Al-Shukaili Rick McCurdy Richard Brantley Rajendra Ghimire Paul Barbour Morris Hoagland Mike Hightower Michael Grossman Martha Pskowski Lauren Flores Lisa Henthorne Kyle Murray Kurt Knewitz Kathie Forney John W. John Durand Jay Keener Ivan Morales, MBA, Hani Khalifa George Knapo Dustin Brownlow David L Lynch Darrious Betts Crosby Shaver Chip Westaby Brian Bohm Brent Halldorson Ben Samuels Arthur Hale; Amanda Drane Amanda Martin-Brock Alex Procyk

EAA Declares a Decrease to Stage 2 Permit Reductions for the San Antonio Pool San Antonio, TX – The Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) has declared a decrease from Stage 3 to Stage 2 Critical Period Management permit reductions for Edwards groundwater permit holders in the San Antonio Pool of the EAA’s jurisdiction within Atascosa, Bexar, Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe, Hays, and Medina counties. The EAA officially confirmed that that the ten-day rolling average at the J-17 index well was 640.1 feet above mean sea level (ft msl), the Comal Springs ten-day rolling average for discharge was 194 cubic feet per second (cfs), and the ten-day rolling average for discharge for the San Marcos Springs was 97 cfs. as of January 25. ➡️To read the full press release, please visit www.edwardsaquifer.org 💧This aquifer conditions table reflects conditions as of today.

Great start to the year, Leep Utilities now have a NAV framework agreed with Persimmon Homes. What are the benefits of the NAV Adoption Framework Agreement?   1.     Full transparency of costs for all aspects of the construction and adoption 2.     Collaborative approach to processes to ensure a smooth adoption across both potable and wastewater 3.     Freedom to appoint industry leading contractors without the need for lengthy contracts. 4.     Access to industry leading experience in the NAV market 5.     Faster S104 technical approvals as well as other benefits relating to the adoption of sewers 

Complicated interests, but definitely the right call from #SCOTUS on #TexasvNewMexico. Even though Texas entered into a consent decree — that consent decree would not have ensured that there is sufficient water coming into Texas, nor would it have ensured that the US could meet its treaty obligations to Mexico. The reality is that this leaves the door open for the US to continue to pursue claims to ensure that enough water comes into both the Elephant Butte reservoir in NM, and that enough return flows end up in the Rio Grande for TX. This also means that, hopefully, the US can consider claims that ensure that water that comes into TX from the Rio Grande may one day again reach the Gulf. This decision — while directly discussing a reservoir in New Mexico — has major downstream environmental and water management impacts and considerations. #txwater #nmwater

Operators regulated by BSEE are not required to report pipeline damage to the regulator. BSEE is both the safety regulator and permit approver for all pipelines operating in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). As it stands, the Bureau collects significantly less information than the federal pipeline regulator U.S. DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), the agency that regulates pipelines outside of the OCS. “I think the public would be shocked to know operators of pipelines located on the sea floor are not always aware of damage when it occurs; which has slowed down response times in previous incidents,” PST Policy Advisor Hailey Duncan said. “PST believes collecting more detailed information from operators is a critical step toward better coordination between all parties and protecting federal waters.” The OCS is defined in (43 U.S.C. § 1331) as "(1) all submerged lands lying seaward and outside of the area of lands beneath navigable waters as defined in [the Submerged Lands Act], and of which the subsoil and seabed appertain to the United States and are subject to its jurisdiction and control or within the exclusive economic zone of the United States and adjacent to any territory of the United States; and (2) does not include any area conveyed by Congress to a territorial government for administration." https://lnkd.in/g_Kntwrg

MAGSA understands the financial burden meter and telemetry requirements placed on landowners. To lessen these costs, MAGSA has secured financial support through a Federal grant from the Bureau of Reclamation to create a Meter and Telemetry Rebate Program. Learn more about this program here: https://ow.ly/QCkf50QuT97

#casestudy | How it all started! Check out one of our earliest #pipeline case studies in Appalachia. Learn how Teren's proactive approach set a new standard for enhanced safety, speed and quality in #geohazard management and asset #resilience. https://hubs.ly/Q02d1FCm0 #teren4d #spatialanalysis #environmentaltwin