This workshop will provide an introduction to the governmental requirements for regulating water and wastes at exploration and production (E&P) sites and the options and approaches used by companies to manage their water and wastes. The first half of the workshop will review the federal and state water and waste regulatory programs that are used to control E&P activities at both onshore and offshore locations. Special emphasis will be given to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and Underground Injection Control (UIC) programs. The regulatory portion of the workshop will also discuss current and anticipated regulatory initiatives that could affect E&P activities, such as stormwater permitting requirements for E&P sites, spill prevention control and countermeasure (SPCC) rules, and total maximum daily load (TMDL) requirements, among others.

The second half of the workshop will focus on technologies and approaches that can be used to manage water and waste at E&P sites. Waste management methods will be discussed using a three-tiered framework of waste minimization, recycle/reuse, and treatment and disposal. We will discuss five examples of water and waste management options that Argonne has previously studied and described in detail: synthetic-based muds, downhole oil/water separators, restoration of coastal wetlands using drill cuttings, use of salt caverns for E&P waste disposal, and slurry injection.