Oil and Natural Gas Operations

Flower Mound’s first Oil and Gas Well Drilling ordinance was adopted in May 2003. The ordinance included provisions addressing safety, noise levels, setbacks, and environmental impacts. A gas well ordinance must take into account the rights of all property owners, including mineral owners and land owners, relative to establishing surface setbacks and providing balanced regulations for responsible gas well drilling. During 2010 and 2011, the Town conducted a review of the ordinance and approved amendments to the ordinance in July 2011. Considered one of the most stringent in North Texas, the ordinance was used by several cities as a template in the creation of other municipal Oil and Gas Well Drilling ordinances.

When is a work over rig necessary?

The purpose of a workover rig is to perform maintenance on the gas well(s) due to a need to replace equipment and/or materials in the well or due to the changing of reservoir conditions.  An example of the well maintenance is the need to replace equipment which may have become damaged or corroded such as production tubing, safety valves, electrical pumps, etc.  An example of the changing of reservoir conditions may be if the flow or production of a well has decreased over time.  When the well was originally drilled, it was fit for tubing that was big enough for a higher flow of gas.  As the flow decreased, smaller tubing is now needed.  For a workover to take place, a well must be “killed” temporarily or in other words, stop the flow of gas.  It typically takes a workover rig 2-4 days to complete the work on a well.  

If you have any more questions about workover rigs you can call the Environmental Compliance Inspector with the Town of Flower Mound at 972-874-6346.