This subpart establishes criteria and standards for underground injection control programs to regulate Class I nonhazardous wells.

[53 FR 28148, July 26, 1988]

(a) All Class I wells shall be sited in such a fashion that they inject into a formation which is beneath the lowermost formation containing, within one quarter mile of the well bore, an underground source of drinking water.

(b) All Class I wells shall be cased and cemented to prevent the movement of fluids into or between underground sources of drinking water. The casing and cement used in the construction of each newly drilled well shall be designed for the life expectancy of the well. In determining and specifying casing and cementing requirements, the following factors shall be considered:

(1) Depth to the injection zone;

(2) Injection pressure, external pressure, internal pressure, and axial loading;

(3) Hole size;

(4) Size and grade of all casing strings (wall thickness, diameter, nominal weight, length, joint specification, and construction material);

(5) Corrosiveness of injected fluid, formation fluids, and temperatures;

(6) Lithology of injection and confining intervals; and

(7) Type or grade of cement.

(c) All Class I injection wells, except those municipal wells injecting non-corrosive wastes, shall inject fluids through tubing with a packer set immediately above the injection zone, or tubing with an approved fluid seal as an alternative. The tubing, packer, and fluid seal shall be designed for the expected service.

(1) The use of other alternatives to a packer may be allowed with the written approval of the Director. To obtain approval, the operator shall submit a written request to the Director, which shall set forth the proposed alternative and all technical data supporting its use. The Director shall approve the request if the alternative method will reliably provide a comparable level of protection to underground sources of drinking water. The Director may approve an alternative method solely for an individual well or for general use.

(2) In determining and specifying requirements for tubing, packer, or alternatives the following factors shall be considered:

(i) Depth of setting;

(ii) Characteristics of injection fluid (chemical content, corrosiveness, and density);

(iii) Injection pressure;

(iv) Annular pressure;

(v) Rate, temperature and volume of injected fluid; and

(vi) Size of casing.

(d) Appropriate logs and other tests shall be conducted during the drilling and construction of new Class I wells. A descriptive report interpreting the results of such logs and tests shall be prepared by a knowledgeable log analyst and submitted to the Director. At a minimum, such logs and tests shall include:

(1) Deviation checks on all holes constructed by first drilling a pilot hole, and then enlarging the pilot hole by reaming or another method. Such checks shall be at sufficiently frequent intervals to assure that vertical avenues for fluid migration in the form of diverging holes are not created during drilling.

(2) Such other logs and tests as may be needed after taking into account the availability of similar data in the area of the drilling site, the construction plan, and the need for additional information, that may arise from time to time as the construction of the well progresses. In determining which logs and tests shall be required, the following logs shall be considered for use in the following situations:

(i) For surface casing intended to protect underground sources of drinking water:

(A) Resistivity, spontaneous potential, and caliper logs before the casing is installed; and

(B) A cement bond, temperature, or density log after the casing is set and cemented.

(ii) For intermediate and long strings of casing intended to facilitate injection:

(A) Resistivity, spontaneous potential, porosity, and gamma ray logs before the casing is installed;

(B) Fracture finder logs; and

(C) A cement bond, temperature, or density log after the casing is set and cemented.

(e) At a minimum, the following information concerning the injection formation shall be determined or calculated for new Class I wells:

(1) Fluid pressure;

(2) Temperature;

(3) Fracture pressure;

(4) Other physical and chemical characteristics of the injection matrix; and

(5) Physical and chemical characteristics of the formation fluids.

[45 FR 42500, June 24, 1980, as amended at 46 FR 43162, Aug. 27, 1981]

(a) Operating requirements. Operating requirements shall at a minimum, specify that:

(1) Except during stimulation injection pressure at the wellhead shall not exceed a maximum which shall be calculated so as to assure that the pressure in the injection zone during injection does not initiate new fractures or propagate existing fractures in the injection zone. In no case shall injection pressure initiate fractures in the confining zone or cause the movement of injection or formation fluids into an underground source of drinking water.

(2) Injection between the outermost casing protecting underground sources of drinking water and the well bore is prohibited.

(3) Unless an alternative to a packer has been approved under § 146.12(c), the annulus between the tubing and the long string of casings shall be filled with a fluid approved by the Director and a pressure, also approved by the Director, shall be maintained on the annulus.

(b) Monitoring requirements. Monitoring requirements shall, at a minimum, include:

(1) The analysis of the injected fluids with sufficient frequency to yield representative data of their characteristics;

(2) Installation and use of continuous recording devices to monitor injection pressure, flow rate and volume, and the pressure on the annulus between the tubing and the long string of casing;

(3) A demonstration of mechanical integrity pursuant to § 146.8 at least once every five years during the life of the well; and

(4) The type, number and location of wells within the area of review to be used to monitor any migration of fluids into and pressure in the underground sources of drinking water, the parameters to be measured and the frequency of monitoring.

(c) Reporting requirements. Reporting requirements shall, at a minimum, include:

(1) Quarterly reports to the Director on:

(i) The physical, chemical and other relevant characteristics of injection fluids;

(ii) Monthly average, maximum and minimum values for injection pressure, flow rate and volume, and annular pressure; and

(iii) The results of monitoring prescribed under paragraph (b)(4) of this section.

(2) Reporting the results, with the first quarterly report after the completion, of:

(i) Periodic tests of mechanical integrity;

(ii) Any other test of the injection well conducted by the permittee if required by the Director; and

(iii) Any well work over.

(d) Ambient monitoring. (1) Based on a site-specific assessment of the potential for fluid movement from the well or injection zone and on the potential value of monitoring wells to detect such movement, the Director shall require the owner or operator to develop a monitoring program. At a minimum, the Director shall require monitoring of the pressure buildup in the injection zone annually, including at a minimum, a shut down of the well for a time sufficient to conduct a valid observation of the pressure fall-off curve.

(2) When prescribing a monitoring system the Director may also require:

(i) Continuous monitoring for pressure changes in the first aquifer overlying the confining zone. When such a well is installed, the owner or operator shall, on a quarterly basis, sample the aquifer and analyze for constituents specified by the Director;

(ii) The use of indirect, geophysical techniques to determine the position of the waste front, the water quality in a formation designated by the Director, or to provide other site specific data;

(iii) Periodic monitoring of the ground water quality in the first aquifer overlying the injection zone;

(iv) Periodic monitoring of the ground water quality in the lowermost USDW; and

(v) Any additional monitoring necessary to determine whether fluids are moving into or between USDWs.

[45 FR 42500, June 24, 1980, as amended at 46 FR 43162, Aug. 27, 1981; 47 FR 32129, July 26, 1982; 53 FR 28148, July 26, 1988]

This section sets forth the information which must be considered by the Director in authorizing Class I wells. For an existing or converted new Class I well the Director may rely on the existing permit file for those items of information listed below which are current and accurate in the file. For a newly drilled Class I well, the Director shall require the submission of all the information listed below. For both existing and new Class I wells certain maps, cross-sections, tabulations of wells within the area of review and other data may be included in the application by reference provided they are current, readily available to the Director (for example, in the permitting agency's files) and sufficiently identified to be retrieved. In cases where EPA issues the permit all the information in this section must be submitted to the Administrator.

(a) Prior to the issuance of a permit for an existing Class I well to operate or the construction or conversion of a new Class I well the Director shall consider the following:

(1) Information required in 40 CFR 144.31 and 144.31(g);

(2) A map showing the injection well(s) for which a permit is sought and the applicable area of review. Within the area of review, the map must show the number, or name, and location of all producing wells, dry holes, surface bodies of water, springs, mines (surface and subsurface), quarries, water wells and other pertinent surface features including residences and roads. The map should also show faults, if known or suspected. Only information of public record is required to be included on this map;

(3) A tabulation of data on all wells within the area of review which penetrate into the proposed injection zone. Such data shall include a description of each well's type, construction, date drilled, location, depth, record of plugging and/or completion, and any additional information the Director may require;

(4) Maps and cross sections indicating the general vertical and lateral limits of all underground sources of drinking water within the area of review, their position relative to the injection formation and the direction of water movement, where known, in each underground source of drinking water which may be affected by the proposed injection;

(5) Maps and cross sections detailing the geologic structure of the local area;

(6) Generalized maps and cross sections illustrating the regional geologic setting;

(7) Proposed operating data:

(i) Average and maximum daily rate and volume of the fluid to be injected;

(ii) Average and maximum injection pressure; and

(iii) Source and an analysis of the chemical, physical, radiological and biological characteristics of injection fluids;

(8) Proposed formation testing program to obtain an analysis of the chemical, physical and radiological characteristics of and other information on the receiving formation;

(9) Proposed stimulation program;

(10) Proposed injection procedure;

(11) Schematic or other appropriate drawings of the surface and subsurface construction details of the well.

(12) Contingency plans to cope with all shut-ins or well failures so as to prevent migration of fluids into any underground source of drinking water;

(13) Plans (including maps) for meeting the monitoring requirements in § 146.13(b);

(14) For wells within the area of review which penetrate the injection zone but are not properly completed or plugged, the corrective action proposed to be taken under 40 CFR 144.55;

(15) Construction procedures including a cementing and casing program, logging procedures, deviation checks, and a drilling, testing, and coring program; and

(16) A certificate that the applicant has assured, through a performance bond or other appropriate means, the resources necessary to close, plug or abandon the well as required by 40 CFR 122.42(g).

(b) Prior to granting approval for the operation of a Class I well the Director shall consider the following information:

(1) All available logging and testing program data on the well;

(2) A demonstration of mechanical integrity pursuant to § 146.8;

(3) The anticipated maximum pressure and flow rate at which the permittee will operate;

(4) The results of the formation testing program;

(5) The actual injection procedure;

(6) The compatibility of injected waste with fluids in the injection zone and minerals in both the injection zone and the confining zone; and

(7) The status of corrective action on defective wells in the area of review.

(c) Prior to granting approval for the plugging and abandonment of a Class I well the Director shall consider the following information:

(1) The type and number of plugs to be used;

(2) The placement of each plug including the elevation of the top and bottom;

(3) The type and grade and quantity of cement to be used;

(4) The method for placement of the plugs; and

(5) The procedure to be used to meet the requirement of § 146.10(c).

(Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act: 42 U.S.C. 6905, 6912, 6925, 6927, 6974) [45 FR 42500, June 24, 1980, as amended at 46 FR 43162, Aug. 27, 1981; 48 FR 14293, Apr. 1, 1983]

(a) Existing Class I municipal disposal wells in specific geographic regions as defined in paragraph (f) of this section may continue to inject without violating the regulatory prohibitions in Parts 144 and 146 of this chapter against the movement of injection or formation fluids into a USDW, provided that such wells meet the requirements of this section, even if the Director determines they have caused or may cause fluid movement into a USDW. Nothing in this section excuses such Class I municipal disposal wells from meeting all other applicable State and Federal requirements including 40 CFR 144.12(a).

(b) For purposes of this section, an existing Class I municipal disposal well is defined as a well for which a complete UIC construction permit application was received by the Director on or before December 22, 2005.

(c) For purposes of this section, the determination that a Class I municipal disposal well has caused or may cause movement of injection or formation fluids into a USDW may be made by the Director based on any relevant data available to him/her, including ground water monitoring data generated pursuant to regulatory requirements governing operation of Class I municipal disposal wells.

(d) In order for a Class I municipal disposal well to qualify for authorization to inject pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the Owner/Operator of that well shall:

(1) Develop and implement a pretreatment program that is no less stringent than the requirements of Chapter 62-625, Florida Administrative Code, or have no significant industrial users as defined in that chapter.

(2) Treat the injectate using secondary treatment in a manner that is no less stringent than the requirements of Florida Rule 62-600.420(1)(d), and using high-level disinfection in a manner that is no less stringent than the requirements of Florida Rule 62-600.440(5)(a)-(f), within five years after notification by the Director that the well has caused or may cause fluid movement into a USDW.

(e) Where the Director issued such notice for a well prior to December 22, 2005, in order for that well to qualify for authorization to inject pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the Owner/Operator shall:

(1) Develop and implement a pretreatment program that is no less stringent than the requirements of Chapter 62-625, Florida Administrative Code, or have no significant industrial users as defined in that chapter; and

(2) Treat the injectate using secondary treatment in a manner that is no less stringent than the requirements of Florida Rule 62-600.420(1)(d), and using high-level disinfection in a manner that is no less stringent than the requirements of Florida Rule 62-600.440(5)(a)-(f), within five years after December 22, 2005.

(f) Authorization to inject wastewater into existing Class I municipal disposal wells pursuant to this section is limited to Class I municipal disposal wells in Florida in the following counties: Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Flagler, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pinellas, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sarasota, and Volusia.

[70 FR 70531, Nov. 22, 2005]

Prior to commencing injection, any Class I municipal disposal well in one of the counties identified in § 146.15(f) that is not an existing Class I municipal disposal well as defined in § 146.15(b) of this section shall meet all of the requirements for existing wells seeking authorization to inject pursuant to § 146.15.

[70 FR 70532, Nov. 22, 2005]