Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 250 - Department of Environmental Management › Chapter 150 - Water Resources › Subchapter 05 - Water Quality › Part 4 - Groundwater Discharge Rules (Rules for the Discharge of Non-Sanitary Wastewater and Other Fluid to or Below the Ground Surface) (250-RICR-150-05-4) › Section 250-RICR-150-05-4.6 - Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program

Current through June 14, 2024
A. The
				  Underground Injection Control Program is a federally delegated program
				  administered by the Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
				  (EPA) under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and is designed to protect
				  groundwater resources from the subsurface disposal of hazardous and
				  non-hazardous wastewater or other fluid through injection wells. The following
				  classifications are used to define the six classes of injection wells regulated
				  by the program based on their use and are described below for informational
				  purposes. Note: Classes I-III injection wells are prohibited in Rhode Island;
				  Class IV injection wells are allowed only in accordance with §
										4.10(A)(2)
				  of this Part; Class V wells include injection wells other than Classes I-IV
				  and, with Class IV wells, are groundwater discharge systems subject to all
				  requirements of these rules.
B.
				  Class I wells are used by generators of hazardous waste or owners or operators
				  of hazardous waste management facilities to inject hazardous waste; by
				  municipalities to inject municipal wastewater; by industries to inject
				  non-hazardous industrial waste; and, for injection of radioactive fluids. These
				  are deep wells that inject fluids below the lowermost formation containing
				  groundwater.
C. Class II wells are
				  used to inject fluids that are brought to the surface in connection with
				  natural gas storage operations or conventional oil or natural gas production;
				  to enhance recovery of oil or natural gas; and, for storage of hydrocarbons
				  that are liquid at standard temperature and pressure.
D. Class III wells are used to inject fluids
				  for the extraction of minerals including mining of sulfur by the Frash process;
				  in-situ production of uranium or other metals from ore bodies that have not
				  been conventionally mined; and, for the solution mining of salts or
				  potash.
E. Class IV wells are used
				  to inject hazardous or radioactive waste into or above the lowermost formation
				  containing groundwater; to discharge solutions to remediate contamination
				  in-situ; or, to discharge contaminated groundwater that has been treated and is
				  being discharged into the same formation from which it was drawn, pursuant to
				  provisions of clean-up of releases under the federal CERCLA or RCRA programs or
				  state clean-up program delegated these federal authorities.
F. Class V wells are those wells not included
				  in Classes I-IV that inject wastewater or other fluid, other than hazardous
				  waste, directly below the ground surface and have a variety of uses including
				  but not limited to the following:
1. Wells
				  used to inject water into an aquifer to replenish the aquifer;
2. Wells used to store potable water in an
				  aquifer and to recover the stored water from the same well for beneficial
				  use;
3. Wells used to inject water
				  into fresh water aquifers to prevent intrusion of salt water into fresh
				  water;
4. Wells used to discharge a
				  mixture of water and sand, mill tailings or other materials into mined-out
				  portions of underground mines;
5.
				  Wells used to inject fluid into a non-oil or gas-producing zone to reduce,
				  eliminate or control subsidence;
6.
				  Wells used to discharge spent geothermal fluid associated with the extraction
				  of heat, or as a heat sink to carry off excess heat when cooling buildings,
				  through a ground-source heat pump/air conditioning system or direct-heat
				  application; or, for the production of electric power;
7. Wells used to discharge a variety of
				  non-contact water that contains no additives and has not been chemically
				  altered (e.g. cooling water, water from water supply treatment testing, filter
				  backwash, boiler blowdown, etc.);
8. Wells used to discharge a variety of
				  fluids that cannot otherwise be classified as agricultural, industrial or
				  stormwater;
9. Wells used to drain
				  rainwater and melted snow from impervious surfaces;
10. Wells used to discharge fluids from floor
				  drains or sinks in areas where motor vehicle repair, maintenance or service
				  activities occur (this activity is prohibited);
11. Wells used for beneficial purposes
				  associated with the control of groundwater contamination, including, for
				  example, the introduction of remedial agents into contaminated aquifers to
				  neutralize the contamination, to increase groundwater flow through a
				  contaminant zone in an aquifer to aid contaminant removal, to form hydraulic
				  barriers to contain a contaminant plume or to re-inject treated groundwater
				  from an on-site pump-and-treat system;
12. Wells used to discharge motor vehicle
				  washwater that was used to wash only the exterior of vehicles;
13. Wells used to test new technologies, if
				  the technology cannot be considered under an established well subclass (e.g., a
				  pilot test related to geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide would be
				  considered experimental, however, a well-used for experimental bioremediation
				  would be classified as aquifer remediation); and,
14. Wells used to discharge wastewater
				  resulting from a variety of commercial, industrial or institutional processes
				  or activities (e.g. water from equipment washing, process and non-process
				  cooling water, etc.).