General definitions can be found in Chapter 3 of this title
(relating to Definitions). The following words and terms, when used
in this chapter, have the following meanings.
(1) Abandoned well--A well which has been permanently
discontinued from use or a well for which, after appropriate review
and evaluation by the commission, there is no reasonable expectation
of a return to service.
(2) Activity--The construction or operation of any
of the following:
(A) an injection well for disposal of waste;
(B) an injection or production well for the recovery
of minerals;
(C) a monitor well at a Class III injection well site;
or
(D) any other class of injection well regulated by
the commission.
(3) Affected person--Any person who has a personal
justiciable interest related to a legal right, duty, privilege, power,
or economic interest affected by the proposed injection operation
for which a permit is sought.
(4) Annulus--The space in the wellbore between the
injection tubing and the long string casing and/or liner.
(5) Annulus pressure differential--The difference between
the annulus pressure and the injection pressure in an injection well.
(6) Aquifer--A geological formation, group of formations,
or part of a formation that is capable of yielding a significant amount
of water to a well or spring.
(7) Aquifer recharge project--A project involving the
intentional recharge of an aquifer by means of an injection well authorized
under this chapter or other means of infiltration, including actions
designed to:
(A) reduce declines in the water level of the aquifer;
(B) supplement the quantity of groundwater available;
(C) improve water quality in an aquifer;
(D) improve spring flows and other interactions between
groundwater and surface water; or
(E) mitigate subsidence.
(8) Aquifer restoration--The process used to achieve
or exceed water quality levels established by the commission for a
permit/production area.
(9) Aquifer storage and recovery--The injection of
water into a geologic formation, group of formations, or part of a
formation that is capable of underground storage of water for later
retrieval and beneficial use.
(10) Aquifer storage and recovery injection well--A
Class V injection well used for the injection of water into a geologic
formation as part of an aquifer storage and recovery project.
(11) Aquifer storage and recovery production well--A
well used for the production of water from a geologic formation as
part of an aquifer storage and recovery project.
(12) Aquifer storage and recovery project--A project
involving the injection of water into a geologic formation for the
purpose of subsequent recovery and beneficial use by the project operator.
(13) Area of review--The area surrounding an injection
well described according to the criteria set forth in §331.42
of this title (relating to Area of Review) or in the case of an area
permit, the project area plus a circumscribing area the width of which
is either 1/4 mile or a number calculated according to the criteria
set forth in §331.42 of this title.
(14) Area permit--A permit that authorizes the construction
and operation of two or more similar injection, production, or monitoring
wells used in operations associated with Class III well activities
within a specified area.
(15) Artificial liner--The impermeable lining of a
pit, lagoon, pond, reservoir, or other impoundment, that is made of
a synthetic material such as butyl rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene,
elasticized polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), other manmade materials,
or similar materials.
(16) Baseline quality--The parameters and their concentrations
that describe the local groundwater quality of an aquifer prior to
the beginning of injection operations.
(17) Baseline well--A well from which groundwater is
analyzed to define baseline quality in the permit area (regional baseline
well) or in the production area (production area baseline well).
(18) Bedded salt--A geologic formation, group of formations,
or part of a formation consisting of non-domal salt that is layered
and may be interspersed with non-salt sedimentary materials such as
anhydrite, shale, dolomite, and limestone. The salt layers themselves
often contain significant impurities.
(19) Bedded salt cavern disposal well--A well or group
of wells and connecting storage cavities which have been created by
solution mining, dissolving or excavation of salt bearing deposits
or other geological formations and subsequently developed for the
purpose of disposal of nonhazardous drinking water treatment residuals.
(20) Blanket material or blanket pad--A fluid placed
within a salt cavern that is lighter than the water in the cavern
and will not dissolve the salt or any mineral impurities that may
be contained within the salt. The function of the blanket is to prevent
unwanted leaching of the salt cavern roof, prevent leaching of salt
from around the cemented casing, and to protect the cemented casing
from internal corrosion. Blanket material typically consists of crude
oil, mineral oil, or some fluid possessing similar noncorrosive, nonsoluble,
low density properties. The blanket material is placed between the
salt cavern's outermost hanging string and innermost cemented casing.
(21) Buffer area--The area between any mine area boundary
and the permit area boundary.
(22) Caprock--A geologic formation typically overlying
the crest and sides of a salt stock. The caprock consists of a complex
assemblage of minerals including calcite (CaCO3 ),
anhydrite (CaSO4 ), and accessory minerals.
Caprocks often contain lost circulation zones characterized by rock
layers of high porosity and permeability.
(23) Captured facility--A manufacturing or production
facility that generates an industrial solid waste or hazardous waste
that is routinely stored, processed, or disposed of on a shared basis
in an integrated waste management unit owned, operated by, and located
within a contiguous manufacturing complex.
(24) Casing--Material lining used to seal off strata
at and below the earth's surface.
(25) Cement--A substance generally introduced as a
slurry into a wellbore which sets up and hardens between the casing
and borehole and/or between casing strings to prevent movement of
fluids within or adjacent to a borehole, or a similar substance used
in plugging a well.
(26) Cementing--The operation whereby cement is introduced
into a wellbore and/or forced behind the casing.
(27) Cesspool--A drywell that receives untreated sanitary
waste containing human excreta, and which sometimes has an open bottom
and/or perforated sides.
(28) Commercial facility--A Class I permitted facility,
where one or more commercial wells are operated.
(29) Commercial underground injection control (UIC)
Class I well facility--Any waste management facility that accepts,
for a charge, hazardous or nonhazardous industrial solid waste for
disposal in a UIC Class I injection well, except a captured facility
or a facility that accepts waste only from other facilities owned
or effectively controlled by the same person.
(30) Commercial well--An underground injection control
Class I injection well which disposes of hazardous or nonhazardous
industrial solid wastes, for a charge, except for a captured facility
or a facility that accepts waste only from facilities owned or effectively
controlled by the same person.
(31) Conductor casing or conductor pipe--A short string
of large-diameter casing used to keep the top of the wellbore open
during drilling operations.
(32) Cone of influence--The potentiometric surface
area around the injection well within which increased injection zone
pressures caused by injection of wastes would be sufficient to drive
fluids into an underground source of drinking water or freshwater
aquifer.
(33) Confining zone--A part of a formation, a formation,
or group of formations between the injection zone and the lowermost
underground source of drinking water or freshwater aquifer that acts
as a barrier to the movement of fluids out of the injection zone.
(34) Contaminant--Any physical, biological, chemical,
or radiological substance or matter in water.
(35) Control parameter--Any physical parameter or chemical
constituent of groundwater monitored on a routine basis used to detect
or confirm the presence of mining solutions in a designated monitor
well. Monitoring includes measurement with field instrumentation or
sample collection and laboratory analysis.
Cont'd... |
