R649-3-6. Drilling Operations

1. Drilling operations shall be conducted according to the drilling program submitted on the original APD and as approved by the division. Any change of plans to the original drilling program shall be submitted to the division by using Form 9, Sundry Notices and Reports on Wells and shall receive division approval prior to implementation. A change of plans necessary because of emergency conditions may be implemented without division approval. The operator shall provide the division with verbal notice of the emergency change within 24 hours and written notice within five days.

2. An operator of a drilling well as designated in R649-2-4 shall comply with reporting requirements as follows:

2.1. The spudding in of a well shall be reported to the division within 24 hours. The report should include the well name and number, drilling contractor, rig number and type, spud date and time, the date that continuous drilling will commence, the name of the person reporting the spud, and a contact telephone number.

2.2. The operator shall file Form 6, Entity Action Form with the division within five working days of spudding in a well. The division will assign the well an entity number that will identify the well on the operator's monthly oil and gas production and disposition reports.

2.3. The operator shall notify the division 24 hours in advance of all testing to be performed on the blowout preventer equipment on a well.

2.4. The operator shall submit a monthly status report for each drilling well on Form 9, Sundry Notices and Reports on Wells. The report should include the well depth and a description of the operations conducted on the well during the month. The report shall be submitted no later than the fifth day of the following calendar month until such time as the well is completed and the well completion report is filed.

2.5. The operator shall notify the division 24 hours in advance of all casing tests performed in accordance with R649-3-13.

2.6. The operator shall report to the division all fresh water sand encountered during drilling on Form 7, Report of Water Encountered During Drilling. The report shall be filed with Form 8, Well Completion or Recompletion Report and Log.