New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 7 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Chapter 14A - NEW JERSEY POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM › Subchapter 8 - ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR UNDERGROUND INJECTION CONTROL (UIC) PROGRAM › Section 7:14A-8.14 - Specific operating criteria and construction standards applicable to Class II wells

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) This section
				establishes operating criteria and construction standards for Class II
				wells.
(b) Construction
				requirements for Class II wells are as follows:
1. Class II wells shall, at a minimum, be
				constructed in accordance with the requirements and specifications set forth in
				N.J.A.C. 7:9D. More stringent requirements shall be imposed, based on an
				evaluation of the nature of the injection fluid and/or of geological
				conditions, or where the Department otherwise determines that it is
				appropriate, based on considering potential impacts on ground water
				quality.
2. All new Class II wells
				shall be sited in such a fashion that they inject into a formation which has
				confining zones that are free of open faults or fractures within the area of
				review.
3. All Class II injection
				wells shall be cased and cemented to prevent movement of fluids into or between
				underground sources of drinking water. The casing and cement used in the
				construction of each newly drilled well shall be designed for the life
				expectancy of the well. In determining and specifying casing and cementing
				requirements, the following factors shall be considered:
i. Depth to injection zone;
ii. Injection pressure, external pressure,
				internal pressure, and axial loading;
iii. Hole size;
iv. Size and grade of all casing strings
				(wall thickness, diameter, nominal weight, length, joint specifications, and
				construction material);
v.
				Corrosiveness of injected fluids, formation fluids and temperatures;
vi. Lithology of injection and confining
				zones; and
vii. Type and grade of
				cement.
4. Appropriate
				logs and other tests shall be conducted during the drilling and construction of
				new Class II wells. A descriptive report interpreting the results of these logs
				and tests shall be prepared by a qualified log analyst and submitted to the
				Department. At a minimum, these logs and tests shall include:
i. Deviation checks on all holes constructed
				by first drilling a pilot hole, and then enlarging the pilot hole by reaming or
				another method. Such checks shall be at sufficiently frequent intervals to
				ensure that vertical avenues for fluid movement in the form of diverging holes
				are not created during drilling; and
ii. Such other logs and tests as may be
				needed after taking into account the availability of similar data in the area
				of the drilling site, the construction plan, and the need for additional
				information that may arise from time to time as the construction of the well
				progresses. For surface casings and for intermediate and long strings of
				casings, the following logs shall be used:
(1) Resistivity, spontaneous potential, gamma
				ray and caliper logs before the casing is installed;
(2) A cement bond, temperature, or density
				log after the casing is set and cemented; and
(3) Fracture finder logs, when intermediate
				and long strings of casing are intended to facilitate injection.
5. At a minimum, the
				following information concerning the injection formation shall be determined or
				calculated for new Class II wells:
i. Fluid
				pressure;
ii.
				Temperature;
iii. Fracture
				pressure;
iv. Other physical and
				chemical characteristics of the injection zone; and
v. Physical and chemical characteristics of
				the formation fluids.