Hawaii Administrative Rules › Title 11 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH › Subtitle 1 - GENERAL DEPARTMENTAL PROVISIONS › Chapter 23 - UNDERGROUND INJECTION CONTROL › Section 11-23-03 - Definitions

Current through June, 2024
As used in this chapter:
"Abandon" means to permanently discontinue usage; temporary
				  or intermittent cessation of Operation does not constitute abandonment. An
				  abandoned well need not necessarily be a sealed well.
"Aquifer" means a geological formation, group of formations,
				  or part of a formation that is capable of yielding a significant amount of
				  water to a well, tunnel or spring.
"Artesian" means a hydrologic condition whereby groundwater
				  is confined, under pressure greater than atmospheric, by overlying, relatively
				  impermeable strata. Because of hydrostatic pressure, the piezometric surface of
				  an artesian aquifer rises above the bottom of the (upper) confining bed.
"Building" means a structure, permanent or temporary, built,
				  erected and framed of component structural parts designed for the housing,
				  shelter, workplace, enclosure or support of persona, animals or property of any
				  kind.
"Caprock" means a geological formation or formations
				  composed of terrigenous or marine Sediments deposited over a formation or
				  formations of volcanic origin. Caprock is substantially less permeable than
				  volcanic formations, and is considered a "confining material".
"Confining materials or zone" means a geological formation
				  or part of a formation capable of preventing or severely retarding fluid
				  movement between different geological formations; used interchangeably with
				  "aquiclude".
"Contaminant" means any substance or matter which causes,
				  directly or indirectly, a physical, chemical, biological, or radiological
				  change in the existing water quality; used interchangeably with
				  "pollutant".
"County" means any county of the State, including Kalawao
				  county on Molokai.
"Department" means the department of health, State of
				  Hawaii.
"Director" means the director of health or a duly authorized
				  representative.
"Disposal well" means a well used for the disposal or
				  emplacement of fluid or fluids, either by gravity flow or under pressure, into
				  subsurface strata; often used interchangeably with "injection well".
"Exempted aquifer" means an "quifer or a portion thereof
				  that is exempted from being used as an USDW by the director.
"Existing well" means a well which was in Operation or had
				  received official sanction from all of the necessary agencies, before July 6,
				  1984.
"Fluid" means any material or substance which flows or
				  moves, whether a semisolid, liquid or gas.
"Formation" means a body of rock characterized by a degree
				  of lithologic homogeneity or similarity which is prevailingly, but not
				  necessarily, tabular and is mappable on the earth's surface or traceable in the
				  subsurface.
"Geohydrologie formation" means any formation capable of
				  transmitting fluids by saturated flow, unsaturated flow or a combination
				  thereof.
"Geologist" means a person with a bachelors or higher degree
				  in geologic sciences from an accredited College or university and a minimum of
				  one year experience in well logging and testing.
"Ground water" means water below the land surface in a zone
				  of Saturation.
"Grouting" means the Operation whereby a cement slurry is
				  forced behind the casing for such purposes as: sealing the casing to the walls
				  of the hole, preventing undesirable leakage of fluids out of the hole, and
				  preventing migration of liquids or gases into the hole; or is pumped into a
				  drill hole or well for plugging and abandonment.
"Hazardous waste" means a hazardous waste as defined
				  extensively in Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 40-Protection of
				  Environment, section 261.3 dated July 1, 1990.
"HRS" means Hawaii Revised Statutes.
"Individual wastewater System (IWS)" means the facility
				  which disposes of treated or untreated domestic wastewater generated from a
				  room or group of rooms forming a Single habitable unit, including, but not
				  limited to, cesspools, septic tanks and household aerobic units.
"Industrial" means associated with a productive enterprise
				  using machinery and mechanical power or human power or both, including such
				  enterprises as power generation and crop production.
"Inject" means to dispose or emplace fluids, either under
				  pressure or by gravity flow, into a subsurface formation or formations.
"Injection pressure" means the head increase in the well
				  bore with respect to the static ground water level; where head refers to the
				  total energy of the fluid at any given point; and in ground water the main
				  components of head are elevation and pressure.
"Injection well" means a well into which subsurface disposal
				  of fluid or fluids occurs or is intended to occur by means of injection.
"Makai" means toward the sea or the area outside the UIC
				  line encircling the protected aquifer.
"Mauka" means toward the mountains or the encircled
				  protected aquifer.
"Modify" means to make a minor or a basic change in the
				  physical characteristics or the operational Status of a well.
"Person" means any individual, partnership, firm,
				  association, public or private corporation, trust estate, the federal, State or
				  county governments or any of their agencies, or any other legal entity.
"Pollute" means:
(1) To alter the physical, chemical, biological or
				  radiological properties of any State waters or USDW, including but not limited
				  to temperature, taste, potability, mineral content, turbidity, color or odor;
				  or
(2) To discharge any liquid, gaseous, solid, radioactive, or
				  other substances, into any State waters as will or is likely to create a
				  nuisance or render such waters harmful, detrimental or injurious to public
				  health, safety or welfare, including harm, detriment, or injury to public or
				  private drinking water supplies.
"Sewage" means waste from all plumbing fixtures in
				  residences, institutions, public and private buildings, and other places of
				  human habitation, employment or recreation, whether treated or not by public or
				  private sewage treatment plants.
"State" means State of Hawaii.
"UIC" means the Underground injection control program under
				  Part C of the Safe Drinking Water Act ( P.L. 93-523 ) and chapter 340E,
				  HRS.
"UIC line" or "the line" means the line on the department of
				  health UIC maps which separates, in plan view, exempted aquifers and
				  USDW.
"Underground source of drinking water (USDW)" means an
				  aquifer or its portion:
(1) Which supplies any public or private drinking water
				  System; or contains a sufficient guantity of ground water to supply a public
				  water System; and
(A) Currently supplies drinking water for human consumption;
				  or
(B) Contains fewer than ten thousand milligrams per liter
				  (mg/L) total dissolved solids (TDS); and
(2) Which is not. an exempted aquifer.
"Volcanic" means material originating from a volcano; often,
				  basaltic lava.
"Waste" means any solid, liquid or gaseous matter, whether
				  treated or not, which, when injected, may pollute or tend to pollute the lands
				  or waters, including, but not limited to, sewage; effluent; offal; garbage;
				  refuse; and industrial, agricultural or radioactive fluids.
"Waste disposal System" means an excavation in the ground
				  receiving wastes which functions by allowing fluids to seep through its bottom,
				  sides or both, including cesspools, septic tanks, and seepage pits.
"Well" means a bored, drilled or driven shaft, or a dug
				  hole, whose depth is greater than its widest surface dimension.
The publications referred to or incorporated by reference in
				  this chapter are available from the Offices of the department of
				  health.