Success Stories

The New Mexico Produced Water Reuse data portal was developed through an agreement between the New Mexico Produced Water Research Consortium and the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) in support of the New Mexico Water Data Initiative. The WaterSTAR product of the GWPC was used as the basis of the data portal. The data sources…

In early 2020 the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (UDOGM) implemented the RBDMS Field Inspection Prioritization (FIP) module. The module, using a variety of data points and GIS technology, generates a map that marks which oil and gas wells should receive priority inspection. The FIP module speeds up the process of determining which…

In early 2020 the Nebraska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (NOGCC) partnered with the Groundwater Protection Council (GWPC) to implement the RBDMS Area of Review (AOR) Tool. This application allows a user to upload AOR data via an Electronic Data Deliverable (EDD); in this case, an Excel spreadsheet. The NOGCC can then review the AOR…

Ann Compton Arnold, Geological Survey of Alabama The Geological Survey of Alabama Groundwater Assessment Program (GSA-GAP) has been using the Risk-Based Data Management System-ENV (RBDMS-ENV), developed by the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) since 2014.  To date, the GSA-GAP has effectively migrated over 40,000 well records to RBDMS-ENV and used the system during preparation of…

The North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) Oil and Gas Division installed RBDMS in 2002 to track oil and gas data collected during the regulatory process. RBDMS provided a robust database that was able to adapt with NDIC during the Bakken boom. Now NDIC is beginning the process of upgrading to RBDMS 3.0 which is currently being…

Five years ago the Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission began seeing an increase in the number of Applications for Permit to Drill (APD’s) submitted to them for review and approval. In 2012 they were getting around 300 APD’s per month. By 2017 they were receiving between 1,000 and 1,500 APD’s per month. All of…

Bakken Oil Boom In 2010 Williston was a quiet town in rural northwestern North Dakota with a population of 14,700. Within four years the population had more than doubled and rent prices soared to levels usually only seen in New York City or San Francisco. This huge influx of people was driven by the Bakken…

Oklahoma Earthquakes on the Rise In 2013, the state of Oklahoma experienced 109-magnitude 3+ earthquakes. In 2015, that number had increased by 732 percent to 907-magnitude 3+ earthquakes.  Oklahoma has historically experienced some level of seismicity, but nothing to this extent.  This dramatic increase was national news and citizens were vocal about their concerns for…

RBDMS eForm RBDMS (Risk Based Data Management System) is used by 26 state agencies across the nation to track all aspects of oil and gas regulatory processes as well as environmental variables related to water quality. Millions of data points are stored in RBDMS systems to ensure proper regulation. However, reports generated to drive regulatory…

Field Inspectors State agency field inspectors across the nation have been visiting oil and gas sites for decades to ensure that environmental rules and regulations are being followed. One field inspector may be responsible for inspecting 1,000 wells and 60 facilities each year.  Whenever inspectors visit a well or facility, they note observations and document…

RBDMS Semi-Annual Conference Twice a year, staff from state oil and gas regulatory agencies gather for a few days of RBDMS training, socializing, and conversation about challenges shared across the nation. Some states like Utah and Mississippi have been RBDMS states since the 1990’s. Others, like California and Idaho are new. Despite the differences from…

Alabama Oil & Gas Board The Alabama Oil & Gas Board (OGB) oversees 85 industry operators and almost 7,500 active wells. The OGB is responsible for enforcing numerous regulations designed to protect public resources, both financial and environmental. This includes tracking each well over its entire lifetime from permitting to plugging and everything in between….