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Storage or disposal of water and fluids may be managed by injecting them underground using injection wells. Injection wells are regulated by the Underground Injection Control (UIC) program to protect underground sources of drinking water.
To operate an injection well, operators must receive approval through the UIC program. Some operators receive approval by submitting information that describes the operation such as well class, location, operating status, and operator contact information to the UIC program. Other operators need approval through a permit that identifies specific operating conditions in order to inject. All wells must be operated according to applicable UIC requirements.
Activities performed by the UIC program include maintaining well inventory, permitting injection wells, performing inspections, and ensuring compliance with permit requirements. When operators manage wells in a way that does not meet the applicable UIC requirements, the program alerts operators to issues and may assist operators in returning the wells to compliance or take enforcement action.
The UIC program may be implemented by the federal EPA or by states, territories, or tribes with EPA-approved primary permitting and enforcement authority. EPA has delegated primacy for all well classes to several states and territories.
The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 and its subsequent amendments established the UIC program, which protects underground source of drinking water (USDW) from endangerment by setting minimum requirements for injection wells. All injection must be authorized under either: general rules or specific permits.
Injection well owners and operators may not:
EPA’s regulations group injection wells into six groups or “classes.” Classes I - IV and VI include wells with similar functions, construction, and operating features. This allows consistent technical requirements to be applied to these well classes. Class V wells are those that do not meet the description of any other well class. Wells in Class V do not necessarily have similar functions, construction, or operating features. The well classes are:
Class VI well operators are required to submit compliance data directly to EPA in an electronic format approved by EPA. This requirement applies regardless of whether the project is located in a state with primary enforcement responsibility (primacy) for Class VI wells. The Geologic Sequestration Data Tool (GSDT) is EPA’s centralized, web-based system that received, stores, and manages Class VI data to fulfill this requirement.