New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 19 - NATURAL RESOURCES AND WILDLIFE
Chapter 11 - GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
Part 4 - CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION
Section 19.11.4.13 - TESTING AND MONITORING

(1) The permittee shall log all injection or production wells with an induction electrical log, or equivalent, or by gamma-neutron log after running casing. The permittee shall log the well from the bottom of the hole to the bottom of the production casing. This requirement may vary from area to area, depending upon the amount of pre-existing subsurface geological data available. If sufficient subsurface geologic data is available, the division may not require the permittee to log the well. However, the permittee shall obtain the division's written permission to omit this requirement prior to running surface casing.

(2) The permittee shall take cuttings a minimum of every 10 feet for all geothermal wells. The cuttings must be cleaned, dried, marked for location and depth and placed in appropriate containers and maintained with the well or facility records per Subsection A of 19.11.4.14 NMAC.

(3) The permittee shall regularly monitor the temperature of the return mud during the drilling of the surface casing hole, below the conductor casing. The permittee shall either install and maintain in working condition a continuous temperature monitoring device, or read the temperature manually. In either case, the permittee shall log the return mud temperature after each joint of pipe has been drilled down 30 feet.

(4) After installation and prior to drilling out the guide shoe from the production or injection casing, the permittee shall test the well casing and BOPE under pressure. The test pressure shall be 1.5 times the saturated steam pressure (psia) of water at the predicted bottom hole mud return temperature. An acceptable test shall maintain pressure in the well between the guide shoe and BOPE, with no more than a ten percent drop from the initial test pressure, for 30 minutes.

(5) Prior to operation of an injection well, the permittee shall test the well construction to demonstrate that the casing cement has acceptably bonded to the casing. The permittee shall conduct the cement bond log test by a method approved by the division and submit the test results to the division for approval before placing the well into operation.

(6) Prior to operation, the permittee shall test all injection wells to demonstrate that the casing has complete integrity. The permittee shall conduct the MIT by a method approved by the division and submit the test results to the division for approval before placing the well into operation.

(7) For fresh water aquifers the division determines may be affected by the operation of an injection well, prior to operation, the permittee shall sample and analyze water quality from the fresh water aquifer through a monitoring or observation well, located down gradient (static water level of fresh water aquifer) and within 500 feet of each injection well. During sampling, the permittee shall also measure the static water level and water temperature. The division shall establish the scope of the water quality analysis based on the potential contaminants from the geothermal resource and geothermal ground operations.

(1) To verify the integrity of the annular cement above the shoe of the casing of any injection well, the permittee shall make sufficient surveys within 30 days after the permittee begins injection into a well to prove that all the injected fluid is confined to the intended zone of injection. Thereafter, the permittee shall make surveys at least every five years or more often if necessary. If the permittee can substantiate by existing data that these tests are not necessary, then, after review of the data, the division may grant a waiver exempting the permittee from the tests.

(2) The permittee of a geothermal production well shall daily monitor the rate of flow of water or steam or both, and the surface pressure and temperature of the fluids from each production well.

(3) The permittee of an injection well shall daily monitor the rate of flow of injected geothermal fluid or wastewater, and the surface pressure and temperature of the fluids injected into each injection well.

(4) The permittee of a geothermal facility shall continuously monitor the rate of flow, pressure and temperature of geothermal resource water or steam or both at the inlet and outlet of the facility.

(5) Based on site conditions and the potential for geothermal resource intrusion into an underground source of usable water, the division may require the permittee to install one or more monitoring wells and to submit a water quality monitoring and analysis plan for division approval.

(6) The permittee shall perform all pit testing and monitoring in accordance with Subsection D of 19.11.4.17 NMAC.