Wyoming Administrative Code › Agency 020 - Environmental Quality, Dept. of › Sub-Agency 0006 - Land Quality - Coal › Chapter 18 - IN SITU MINING › Section 18-10 - Requirements of 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(v) of this Chapter and
				shall constitute a requirement of the permit.
(b) All drill holes and monitor wells shall
				be plugged in accordance with Land Quality Division, Rules and Regulations -
				Coal, Chapter 14 and W.S. §
									
										35-11-404.
(c) If a well lacks mechanical integrity,
				repair or plugging of the well is required 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 injection 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 Testing License, before plugging a well or wells within a
				permit area, or converting a well to uses other than those defined in Section
				1(h) 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 Testing 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
				demonstrating their intention to use the well again and the actions and
				procedures they will take to ensure that mechanical integrity of the well are
				maintained 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 Land Quality Division Rules and Regulations - Coal, Chapter 14, 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 Land Quality
				Division Rules and Regulations - Coal, Chapter 14, Section
				2(e) through (g) and shall
				meet the following requirements:
(A) If
				specific sections of the casing are to be plugged with cement:
(I) The type and number of plugs to be
				used;
(II) The placement of each
				plug including the elevation of the top and bottom;
(III) The method of placement of the plugs,
				in accordance of Section 10(f);
(IV) That the well to be plugged shall be in
				a state of static equilibrium with the mud weight equalized top to bottom,
				either by circulating the mud in the well at least once or by a comparable
				methods prescribed by the Administrator prior to the placement of the cement
				plug(s); and
(V) That the placement
				of cement plugs shall be accomplished by one of the following:
(1.) The Balance method;
(2.) The Dump Bailer method;
(3.) The Two-Plug method; or
(4.) An alternative method approved by the
				Administrator, which:
a. Includes placement of
				plugging materials in the interval or intervals to be sealed by methods that
				prevent free fall, dilution and/or separation of aggregates from sealing
				methods; and
b. Provides a
				comparable level of reliable protection to the methods identified in Section
				10(f).