Injection Well - Regulatory Requirements

Regulatory Requirements

In the United States, injection well activity is regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state governments under the Safe Drinking Water Act. EPA has issued Underground Injection Control (UIC) regulations in order to protect drinking water sources. The EPA has six classes of injection wells. Class I wells are used for the injection of municipal and industrial wastes beneath underground sources of drinking water. Class II wells are used for the injection of fluids associated with oil and gas production. Class III wells are used for the injection of fluids used in mineral solution mining beneath underground sources of drinking water. Class IV wells, like Class I wells, are used for the injection of hazardous wastes but inject waste into or above underground sources of drinking water instead of below. Class V wells are used for all injections that are not covered by Classes I-IV. Finally, Class VI wells are used for the injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) for sequestration, or long term storage. Currently, there are no Class VI wells but 6-10 wells are expected to be in use by 2016.