Wyoming Administrative Code › Agency 020 - Environmental Quality, Dept. of › Sub-Agency 0007 - Land Quality - Non Coal › Chapter 11 - IN SITU MINING › Section 11-10 - Requirements for Plugging of Drill Holes and Repair, Conversion, and Plugging of Wells

Current through July 13, 2024
(a) A plan for
				drill holes and well repair, plugging, and conversion shall be approved by the
				Administrator and included in the permit or Research and Development License
				application, as required by Section
				6(a)(iii) of this Chapter,
				and shall constitute a condition of the permit.
(b) All drill holes shall be plugged in
				accordance with Chapter 8 of the noncoal rules and W.S. §
									35-11-404.
(c) If a well lacks mechanical integrity, the
				operator shall repair or plug the well to prevent the movement of fluid into
				unauthorized zones or onto the surface caused by the lack of mechanical
				integrity. Repair or plugging of the well must be completed within 120 days of
				the testing which indicates the well lacks mechanical integrity. If the well is
				repaired rather than plugged, retesting of the well, in accordance with the
				requirements of Section
				9 of this Chapter must be completed within
				120 days after the repair is completed. The operator may resume use of the well
				upon written notification from the Administrator that the operator has
				demonstrated mechanical integrity.
(d) The operator shall notify the
				Administrator, as required by the permit or Research and Development License,
				before plugging a well or wells within an area permit or converting a well to
				uses other than those defined in Section
				1(f) of this
				Chapter.
(e) All abandoned wells
				shall be plugged or converted, in accordance with the Plugging/Conversion Plan
				in the permit or Research and Development License, in order to assure that
				groundwater is protected and preserved for future use and to eliminate any
				potential physical hazard. A well is considered "abandoned" when it has not
				been used for a period of two years, unless the operator submits to the
				Administrator and receives approval for a non-significant revision under
				Section
				19(c)(vi) of this Chapter
				demonstrating their intention to use the well again and the actions and
				procedures they will take to ensure that mechanical integrity of the well is
				maintained under Section
				7(a)(i) of this Chapter
				and the well will not endanger any unauthorized zone or water-bearing strata in
				accordance with the requirements of this Chapter.
(f) A well shall be plugged to meet the
				requirements below, using an approved sealant material as outlined in Chapter
				8, Section
				2(d), to assure that
				plugging of the well will not allow the movement of fluids into or between
				unauthorized zones or water-bearing strata:
(i) The well shall be plugged using a method
				which prevents fluid communication and adverse changes in water quality or
				quantity. Sealant materials shall be emplaced in a manner that provides a water
				tight seal utilizing one of the approved methods detailed in Chapter 8, Section
				2(e) -
				(g) and shall meet the following
				requirements:
(A) If specific sections of the
				casing are to be plugged with cement:
(I) The
				operator shall log:
(1.) The type and number
				of plugs to be used;
(2.) The
				placement of each plug including the elevation of the top and the
				bottom;
(3.) The method of
				placement of the plugs, in accordance with Section 10(f);