§ 9-40.050. Site Development and Operating Guidelines

The following general guidelines shall be used in the development of conditions to help ensure that an oil development project generates minimal negative impacts on the environment. Each guideline shall be applied whenever physically and economically feasible and practicable, unless the strict application of a particular guideline would otherwise defeat the intent of other guidelines. An applicant should use the guidelines in the design of the project and anticipate their use as permit conditions, unless the applicant can demonstrate that they are not feasible or practicable.

A.

Permit areas and drill sites should generally coincide and should only be as large as necessary to accommodate typical drilling and production equipment.

B.

The number of drill sites in an area should be minimized by using centralized drill sites, directional drilling and other techniques.

C.

Drill sites and production facilities should be located so that they are not readily seen.

D.

Permittees and operators should share facilities such as, but not limited to, permit areas, drill sites, access roads, storage, production, and processing facilities and pipelines.

E.

Pipelines should be used to transport petroleum products off-site to promote traffic safety and air quality.

F.

Cuts or fills associated with access roads and drill sites within the limits of the City's Hillside Performance Standards, should be kept to a minimum to avoid erosion and visual impacts. They should be located in inconspicuous areas, and generally not exceed 10 vertical feet. Cuts or fills shall be restored to their original grade once the use has been discontinued for more than 60 continuous calendar days.

G.

Gas from wells shall be piped to centralized collection and processing facilities, rather than being flared, to preserve energy resources and air quality and reduce fire hazards and light sources.

H.

Each well shall be located a minimum of 800 feet from occupied sensitive uses. Private access roads to drill sites shall be located a minimum of 500 feet from occupied sensitive uses. [Sensitive uses are defined in Section 9-40.070(A) (Noise Mitigation).]

I.

Oversized vehicles shall be preceded by lead vehicles, where necessary for traffic safety.

J.

Lighting shall be kept to a minimum to approximate normal nighttime light levels as approved by the Director.

K.

In general, projects shall be located, designed and operated so as to minimize their adverse impact on the physical and social environment. To this end, dust, noise, vibration, noxious odors, intrusive light, aesthetic impacts, and other factors of nuisance and annoyance shall be reduced to a minimum or eliminated through the best accepted practices incident to the exploration and production of oil and gas.

(§ 5, Ord. 1085, eff. January 6, 2006)