American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2020 - 72

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system (when present) to ensure proper
operation.
Following the inspection, action items
should address significant issues as soon
as possible. Follow-up documentation
should be included in the inspection
file.

Third-party inspections, as part of construction oversight process, play a vital role in ensuring all liner materials are tested and installed properly. In this photo, an equalization
pipe is being installed in a water recycling impoundment near Pecos, Tx.

have proper preconstruction testing and
certifications. During installation, oversight personnel should supervise all field
testing of the liner, geotextile and geocomposite materials. Twice-daily machine
pretesting, seam air testing, vacuum box
testing, and destructive peel and shear
testing should be performed in accordance
with the CQA plan to ensure the liner is
properly installed. Following the installation of the liner system, a liner quality
control document should be submitted
to the owner along with any warranties
of the material.
Once an impoundment begins service,
inspections remain essential and should
follow a set schedule. If the facility is
used and staffed daily, an informal "walk
around" can be performed at the start of
the day to identify any obvious issues.
Written inspections should be performed
on a formal schedule, usually at least
monthly, with a comprehensive annual

review. Formal inspections should always
include action items and follow-up procedures. The inspection should, at a minimum, include the following:
· Visible cracks, tears or bubbles in
the liner;
· Sloughing, sliding or slumping under the liner;
· Trash or sheen in the impoundment;
· Proper staging of available safety
devices;
· Visibility and condition of warning
signs;
· Condition of the perimeter fence
and lock mechanisms on gates;
· Condition of access road/ramp;
· Proper securement of hoses and
equipment;
· Erosion of the outer berms;
· Presence of proper vegetative cover;
· Evidence of any seeps; and
· Function testing of the leak detection

Acquisitions And Closure
In the current business environment,
acquisitions of oil and gas properties
with associated impoundments will increase. Recommended best management
practices for acquisitions involving impoundments should include site inspection
and review of the design documents and
maintenance records before the transaction is complete. At a minimum, the impoundment and any adjoining facilities
should go through a third-party inspection
to determine if the facility is in good
working order and that the regulatory
permits have been properly filed. The
most frequent issues that arise under
these circumstances are impoundments
built without a dam safety permit or impoundments improperly built with steep
slopes that have eroded, presenting a
high risk for failure.
When an impoundment has completed
its useful life, certain steps should be
taken to ensure a proper closure. If the
impoundment is a permitted facility, the
overseeing governmental agency normally
has a set of regulations that must be followed during closure. This usually includes a manifest of waste removed and
disposed off site, testing of the soil material beneath the liner, and in some instances, a closure certificate from a registered engineer. Improper closure can
result in significant additional work, regulatory difficulty and cost.
The value of utilizing best management practices is not always apparent.
For example, performing an RSA can

TABLE 1
Cost and Savings Matrix for Best Management Practices
Planning Item

Upfront Cost

Project Cost Savings

Conceivable Liability Savings

Desktop RSA

0-$

$$$

Land Survey

Geotechnical Survey

Detailed Design Package

$$$

Construction Oversight

$$$

KEY

$ = $1-5K
$$ = $5-15K
$$$ = $15K+

$ = $10-55K
$$ = $50-150K
$$$ = Cost of the Project

72 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2020