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Oil and Gas Wastewater Permits

Permits for oil and gas facilities, requirements for each type, and links and information on how to apply

What has changed for oil and gas wastewater discharge permits?

TCEQ requested authority from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue federal 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 House Bill 2771, 86th Legislature 2019. EPA approved the request effective January 15, 2021. The authority for these discharges has been transferred from the Railroad Commission (RRC) of Texas to TCEQ.

You can find information on how we requested and received delegation for these permits at the Oil and Gas Wastewater Stakeholder Group webpage.

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What types of permits will TCEQ have for oil and gas facilities?

Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) General Permit TXG310000.

  • TCEQ has issued a new Oil and Gas Extraction TPDES General Permit No. TXG310000, with an effective date of January 10, 2024.
  • This general permit does not authorize discharges from facilities greater than 3.0 statute miles from the coastline in an area of the Gulf of Mexico that is commonly referred to as the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).  For discharges into the Gulf of Mexico from an OCS facility extending greater than 3.0 statute miles and less than 10.357 statute miles, see the Oil and Gas Outer Continental Shelf webpage.
  • Our general permit will replace EPA General Permits TXG260000 and TXG330000.

Outer Continental General Permit WQG280000

  • TCEQ has issues a new Oil and Gas Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) General Permit No. WQG280000, with an effective date of January 10, 2024. This state only general permit authorizes the discharge of wastes associated with oil and gas extraction activities from OCS facilities located greater than 3.0 statute miles and less than 10.357 statute miles from the coastline in the Gulf of Mexico.
  • You will also need federal authorization under EPA’s General Permit GMG290000 . EPA does not delegate National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) authorization past the 3-mile statutory boundary.

Hydrostatic Test General Permit TXG670000

Individual Permits

  • Gas plants and produced water facilities located west of the 98th meridian that discharge into water in the state need to get authorized under an individual permit.
  • NEW Oil and Gas Facilities with Compliance and Enforcement Transferred to TCEQ
  • NEW Texas NPDES Oil and Gas Permittees Report DMR Data in NetDMR-Texas TCEQ Instance
    On January 15, 2021, the TCEQ became the authority responsible for NPDES Oil and Gas permits. This change impacts the way O&G permittees submit Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) data.

    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.

    You can reach 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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How does this affect my permitting requirements?

Produced water facilities located west of the 98th meridian with existing individual permits:

  • You must apply for a TCEQ individual permit before your EPA or RRC permit expires. Our permit will replace both of those permits.

Gas plant facilities with existing individual permits:

  • You must apply for a TCEQ individual permit before your EPA or RRC permit expires. Our permit will replace both of those permits.

Onshore stripper wells, coastal facilities, and territorial seas facilities with existing coverage under general permits:

  • Apply for authorization under our TXG310000 general permit. It will replace both EPA and RRC permits.

Outer continental shelf facilities with existing coverage under general permits:

  • Apply for state authorization under our WQG280000 general permit and keep your current EPA permit.

Hydrostatic test water with existing coverage under general permits:

  • Apply for authorization under the Hydrostatic Test General Permit TXG670000. This will replace your existing EPA and RRC permits.

New or non-permitted facilities:

  • Get authorized under one of the above-referenced general permits or under an individual permit before discharging into water in the state.

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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 the 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.

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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).

NEW Watch TCEQ's Oil and Gas E-Permitting and Discharge Reporting workshop video YouTube logo 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.

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How do I report discharges?

Submit Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) online through NetDMR.

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How do I report spills?

Visit our spills reporting page for information.

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Where can I get more information?

Contact TCEQ Wastewater Permitting at (512) 239-4671 or wqap@tceq.texas.gov.

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 Compliance Assistance Website, call our confidential compliance hotline at (800) 447-2827, or email TexasEnviroHelp@tceq.texas.gov.

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