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Sioux County commissioners direct counsel to oppose proposed salt-water disposal well
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Summary
After public hearings in February and May 2015, the Sioux County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to direct its county attorney to prepare a letter opposing Terex Energy’s disposal-well application to the Nebraska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, citing out‑of‑state wastewater origin, contamination and traffic concerns on Highway 29.
The Sioux County Board of Commissioners directed County Attorney J. Adam Edmund to prepare a letter opposing Terex Energy Corp.’s application for a salt‑water disposal well after public hearings in February and testimony in May. At a Feb. 18 special meeting the board cited the wastewater’s out‑of‑state origin, potential contamination risks and traffic impacts on Highway 29 as the basis for opposition and authorized Chairman Joshua Skavdahl to sign the letter.
Why it matters: the well application, if approved by the Nebraska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, would allow large‑volume disposal of oilfield wastewater in southern Sioux County. Local residents and landowners raised safety, long‑term environmental and transportation concerns throughout several board meetings and public hearings earlier in 2015.
At a Feb. 2 meeting moved to the district courtroom to accommodate a large group, Bryan Palm told the board he represented a petition opposing disposal wells and asked the board to vote against any present or future wastewater disposal wells in Sioux County; Palm later told the board he was representing more than 400 signatures. "I am representing over 400 signatures opposing the disposal well," Palm said during public comment.
County Attorney Edmund told the assembled residents that a conditional use permit would be required under county zoning and that the county had not yet received any conditional‑use filing from Terex. Following public comment on Feb. 18 the board carried two motions by roll call: to have Edmund draft an opposition letter to the Nebraska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission and to authorize Chairman Skavdahl to sign it.
Technical testimony later in May drew both concerns and rebuttals. Mike Sarchet, who said he had been asked by landowners to review potential impacts, urged caution about aquifer protection, testing and oversight. Dave Haack, owner of Z & S Construction and an operator of a commercial disposal well in Kimball County, told the board that the product handled at his facility is "99% salt water" and described operational controls and transportation practices. Those differing perspectives were recorded but did not change the county board’s earlier direction to oppose the application.
Next steps: the county attorney was directed to prepare and transmit the opposition letter to the Nebraska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission; the board also set a special meeting schedule in February to allow further consideration. The matter remains subject to state permitting proceedings and to any conditional‑use filings required by county zoning.