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Oil and Gas Activity Wastewater Discharges: Compliance Resources

This page provides information on available permitting options for oil and gas (O&G) wastewater and multi-media compliance guidance.

O&G facility wastewater discharges, including produced water, gas plant effluent, onshore and outer continental shelf (OCS) facilities, and hydrostatic test water discharges are permitted completely or in part by TCEQ. In certain circumstances, these discharges may also fall under the jurisdiction of the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) or the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction, contains a mixture of oil, chemicals, and naturally occurring substances. TCEQ issues permits to ensure that produced water is treated and discharged in compliance with state and federal regulations when it is being discharged to waters in the state.

If your facility utilizes various technologies and methods to treat produced water, you may be authorized under one or more of the discharge permit types listed on this page.

Traditional methods of disposal for produced water include disposal via injection well or land application authorized by RRC.

Common Technologies and Treatment Types Used for Produced Water include:

  • Gravity Separation: Uses density differences to separate oil from water.
  • Hydro cyclones: Utilizes centrifugal forces to remove oil, grease, and suspended solids.
  • Filtration: Removes suspended solids and contaminants using various filters like sand or cartridge filters. Achieves particulate removal.
  • Adsorption: Uses materials like activated carbon to remove dissolved contaminants. Effective for organic compounds.
  • Chemical Treatment: Involves adding chemicals to remove specific contaminants through oxidation or precipitation.
  • Biological Treatment: Uses microorganisms to break down organic contaminants. Environmentally friendly.
  • Membrane Filtration: Employs technologies like reverse osmosis to remove dissolved solids and contaminants. Produces high-quality treated water.
  • Electrocoagulation: Uses electrical currents to destabilize and remove contaminants like suspended solids and oils.
  • Evaporation and Distillation: Separates contaminants by heating water, effective for removing dissolved salts and impurities.

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Regulatory Background

TCEQ requested authority from the EPA to issue permits for produced water, hydrostatic test water, and gas plant effluent discharges resulting from certain oil and gas activities into water in the state as required by Texas House Bill 2771, 86th Legislature 2019. EPA approved the request effective January 15, 2021. The authority for these discharges has been transferred from the RRC to TCEQ.

Produced water facilities located west of the 98th meridian:

  • New or Non-permitted: Before discharging, obtain an individual permit from TCEQ.
  • With existing individual permits from EPA or RRC: You must apply for a TCEQ individual permit before your EPA or RRC permit expires. The TCEQ permit will replace both of your existing permits.

Gas plant facilities:

  • New or Non-permitted: Before discharging, obtain an individual permit from TCEQ.
  • With existing individual permits from EPA or RRC: You must apply for a TCEQ individual permit before your EPA or RRC permit expires. The TCEQ permit will replace both of your existing permits.

Onshore stripper wells, coastal facilities, and territorial seas facilities east of the 98th meridian and less than 3 statute miles off the Texas coastline:

  • New or Non-permitted: Before discharging, obtain Oil and Gas Extraction TPDES General Permit No. TXG310000 from TCEQ.
  • With existing coverage under general permits from EPA or RRC: Obtain authorization under the TXG310000 general permit. It will replace both EPA and RRC permits.

Outer continental shelf (OCS) facilities between 3.0 and 10.357 statute miles off the Texas coastline:

Hydrostatic test water discharges

  • New or Non-permitted: Before discharging, obtain Hydrostatic Test General Permit TXG670000 from TCEQ.
  • With existing coverage under EPA and RRC general permits: Apply for authorization under the Hydrostatic Test General Permit TXG670000. This will replace your existing EPA and RRC permits.

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How do I apply for an individual wastewater permit from TCEQ?

Visit our website Industrial Wastewater Discharges: The Permit Process for information and instructions on how to apply for an obtain an individual wastewater discharge permit.

How do I apply for TCEQ’s general permits?

Submit a notice of intent (NOI) to get permit authorization using the State of Texas Environmental Electronic Reporting System (STEERS).

Watch TCEQ's Oil and Gas E-Permitting and Discharge Reporting workshop video to learn more about our online permitting and reporting tools. The workshop explains how to set up an account in STEERS, submit an NOI for the Hydrostatic Test general permit, and submit discharge monitoring reports.

STEERS Support

For more help, call the STEERS help line at (512) 239-6925, email steers@tceq.texas.gov, or use the STEERS Contact Form.

What if I need coverage for my discharges, but cannot meet TCEQ’s general permit requirements?

If your facility needs permit authorization but cannot meet the requirements of a general permit, you need an individual permit. Please contact TCEQ Wastewater Permitting at (512) 239-4671 or wqap@tceq.texas.gov to schedule a pre-application meeting for an individual permit and visit our webpage for additional information on obtaining individual permits: Industrial Wastewater Discharges: The Permit Process.

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Submit Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) online through NetDMR.

Reminder: Beginning June 24, 2021, O&G permittees will no longer use the EPA Region 6 NetDMR instance: NDMR-R6: NetDMR: EPA Region 6 – AR-GM-LA-NM-OK-TX. Instead, permittees must begin reporting to the Texas TCEQ instance: NDMR-TX: NetDMR: Texas TCEQ. Use the TCEQ’s step-by-step guide to add the NetDMR - Texas TCEQ Instance to your Central Data Exchange (CDX) account.

  • Contact the EPA NPDES helpdesk at 888-890-1995 for CDX account issues
  • Contact the TCEQ’s NetDMR Helpline at NetDMR@tceq.texas.gov or call us at 512-239-eDMR (3367) if you have questions regarding the Texas TCEQ instance.

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The RRC regulates spills associated with:

  • O&G exploration, development, and production​.
  • Pipeline transportation of crude oil and natural gas.
  • Transportation of O&G waste.

Report releases or spills associated with these activities to RRC through their 24-hour emergency line at 844-773-0305. For more information, visit RRC’s Accidents and Incident Reporting webpage.

TCEQ regulates spills associated with:

  • Truck, barge, and rail car transportation of crude oil and natural gas.
  • Spills of solid waste, hazardous substances, and refined petroleum products.
  • Abandoned containers of unknown substances.

Report releases or spills associated with these activities to TCEQ via our 24-hour emergency line at 1-800-832-8224 or your local TCEQ Regional Office. You can also visit TCEQ's Emergency Response webpage or download the Report Spills or Discharges in Texas poster.

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Multi-media guidance for O&G facilities that treat and/or discharge wastewater can be found in Common Environmental Requirements for Oil and Gas Activities in Texas (RG-482).

Air Compliance

Facilities that treat produced water may need to apply for coverage under one of TCEQ’s air permits depending on the method used. If your facility is in a nonattainment area (Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, San Antonio, El-Paso, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Tyler-Longview, Austin area, Corpus Christi area, or other affected areas) there may be stricter air rules in place.

Stormwater Compliance

EPA granted TCEQ authority under the TPDES program to regulate construction and industrial stormwater discharges associated with oil and gas activities.

Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP)

  • HOT TCEQ is amending MSGP TXR050000 to include non-exempt stormwater discharges from oil and gas activities. Visit Stormwater MSGP for Industrial Facilities to determine if your facility requires authorization under the current permit.

Construction General Permit (CGP)

Waste Compliance

You can dispose of waste generated from oil and gas activities at authorized RRC facilities or certain TCEQ permitted landfills.

Whether you transport waste in Texas or hire a waste transporter, our Transporting Waste in Texas regulatory guidance will help you determine the regulatory requirements for waste transportation.

Water Compliance

Find out if you need authorization for your drinking water, on-site sewage facility, reclaimed water use, and water transportation, including information about surface and groundwater rights and dam safety at our webpage: Oil and Gas Facilities: Water Compliance Information.

Additionally, the RRC may require a Groundwater Protection Determination for surface casing, underground injection, and other underground activities. For more information, contact the RRC at (512) 463-2741 or gau@rrc.texas.gov and view their Groundwater Advisory Unit webpage.

Where can I get more information?

Sign up to receive The Advocate, a periodic publication that sends updates on regulatory concerns and rules for small businesses and local governments.

For additional questions or help please visit our Oil and Gas Activities webpage, call our confidential compliance hotline at (800) 447-2827, or email TexasEnviroHelp@tceq.texas.gov.

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