Washington Administrative Code
Title 173 - Ecology, Department of (See also Titles 197, 317, 372, and 508)
Chapter 173-218 - Underground injection control program
Section 173-218-120 - Decommissioning a UIC well
Universal Citation: WA Admin Code 173-218-120
Current through Register Vol. 24-06, March 15, 2024
(1) Decommissioning standards for all UIC wells:
(a) Wells must be decommissioned in a manner
that prevents movement of fluid containing any contaminant into the groundwater
( 40 C.F.R.
144.82 ); and
(b) When decommissioning wells, the owner or
operator must dispose or otherwise manage any soil, gravel, sludge, liquids or
other materials removed from or adjacent to the wells in accordance with all
applicable federal, state, and local requirements ( 40 C.F.R. 144.82b
).
(2) Decommissioning standards for UIC wells that are determined to be an imminent public health hazard or prohibited:
(a) Class I wells are
prohibited and must be decommissioned in accordance with 40 C.F.R.
146;
(b) Class III wells are
prohibited and must be decommissioned in accordance with 40 C.F.R.
146;
(c) Class IV wells that are
prohibited must be decommissioned in accordance with 40 C.F.R. 144, 146;
or
(d) Class V wells that are
determined to be an imminent public health hazard or are prohibited in this
rule must be decommissioned at the earliest extent possible as approved by the
department and meet the decommissioning standards, except for:
(i) Existing cesspools that serve twenty or
more people per day or an equivalent design capacity of 3,500 gallons or larger
per day must be decommissioned immediately (
40 C.F.R.
144.88 ); and
(ii) Motor vehicle waste disposal wells must
be decommissioned immediately.
(3) Decommissioning standards for allowed UIC wells:
(a) Class II wells must meet the
closure requirements found in chapter 344-12 WAC General rules;
(b) Class V wells must be decommissioned by
filling or plugging the well so that it will not result in an environmental,
public health or safety hazard, and will not serve as a channel for movement of
water or pollution to an aquifer:
(i) UIC
wells that are in contact with an aquifer, even if they are in contact with
only the seasonal high aquifer, must be decommissioned in accordance with the
most applicable method found in chapter 173-160 WAC Minimum standards for
construction and maintenance of wells; or
(ii) UIC wells that are not in contact with
an aquifer must be decommissioned by:
(A)
Removing any structure within three feet of the land surface;
(B) Backfilling up to three feet below the
land surface with material that is uncontaminated, chemically and biologically
inert, and that drains equal to or more slowly than the native material
surrounding the UIC well; and
(C)
Filling the remaining three feet directly below the land surface with native
soil or other structurally sound material common with current engineering
practices.
(c) Septic systems that receive only sanitary
waste and serve twenty or more people per day or an equivalent design capacity
of 3,500 gallons or larger per day must be decommissioned in accordance with
chapter 246-272B WAC Large on-site sewage system regulations or chapter
246-272A WAC On-site sewage systems;
(d) The department may require additional
measures to those above prior to the decommissioning of a UIC well if such
measures are deemed necessary to protect the public health and
safety.
(4) Decommissioning recordkeeping requirements for UIC wells:
(a) The owner or operator of a Class I, II,
III, or IV well must notify the department thirty days prior to decommissioning
the UIC well;
(b) An owner or
operator of a Class V well that is determined to be an imminent public health
hazard or that is prohibited must notify the department thirty days prior to
decommissioning the well ( 40 C.F.R. 144.88 ); or
(c) After adoption of this rule, an owner or
operator of a Class V well that is determined not to be an imminent public
health hazard and is not prohibited must notify the department within one year
of the closure except for existing UIC wells used for storm water management
and septic systems that are permitted and meet the requirements of chapter
246-272B WAC Large on-site sewage system regulations. The owner or operator
must submit to the department, on an annual basis, an update on the wells that
have been decommissioned, once the initial well registration(s) has been sent
to the department.
Statutory Authority: Chapters 43.21A and 90.48 RCW. 06-02-065 (Order 01-10), § 173-218-120, filed 1/3/06, effective 2/3/06.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Washington may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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