La. Admin. Code tit. 43 § XVII-101
A. The following definitions apply to all regulations following hereafter. Terms not defined in this Section have the meaning given by R.S. (1950) Title 30, Section 3.
Abandoned Well- a well whose use has been permanently discontinued or which is in a state of disrepair such that it cannot be used for its intended purpose or for observation purposes.
Act- Part I, Chapter 1 of Title 30 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes.
Application- the filing by a person on the Office of Conservation forms for applying for an underground injection permit, including any additions, revisions or modifications to the forms.
Aquifer- a geological formation, group of formations, or part of a formation that is capable of yielding a significant amount of water to a well or spring.
Area of Revieww-the area surrounding an "injection well" as described in §109. A.2 for Class I and §109. B.2 for Class III.
Casing- a metallic or nonmetallic tubing or pipe of varying diameter and weight, lowered into a borehole during or after drilling in order to support the sides of the hole and thus prevent the walls form caving, to prevent loss of drilling mud into porous ground, or to prevent water, gas or other fluid from entering the hole.
Catastrophic Collapse- the sudden and utter failure of overlying strata caused by removal of underlying materials.
Cementing- the operation whereby a cement slurry is pumped into a drilled hole and/or forced behind the casing.
Cesspool-a drywell that receives untreated sanitary waste containing human excreta, and which sometimes has an open bottom and/or perforated sides.
Confining Bed- a body of impermeable or distinctly less permeable material stratigraphically adjacent to one or more aquifers.
Confining Zone- a geological formation, group of formations, or part of a formation that is capable of limiting fluid movement above an injection zone.
Contaminant- any physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance or matter in water.
Commissioner- the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Conservation, Department of Natural Resources.
Disposal Well- a well used for the disposal of waste into a subsurface stratum.
Drilling Mud- heavy suspension used in drilling an injection well introduced down the drill pipe and through the drill bit.
Drywell-a well, other than an improved sinkhole or subsurface fluid distribution system, completed above the water table so that its bottom and sides are typically dry except when receiving fluids.
Effective Date- the date that the Louisiana State UIC Program is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Emergency Permit- a UIC permit issued in accordance with §115
Exempted Aquifer- an aquifer or its portion that meets the criteria of the definition of underground source of drinking water but which has been exempted according to the procedures set forth in §103 H
Existing Injection Well or Project- an injection well or project other than a new injection well or project.
Experimental Technology- a technology which has not been proven feasible under the conditions in which it is being tested.
Facility or Activity- any facility or activity, including land or appurtenances thereto, that is subject to these regulations.
Fault- a surface or zone of rock fracture along which there has been displacement.
Flow Rate- the volume per time unit given to the flow of fluid substance which emerges from an orifice, pump, turbine or passes along a conduit or channel.
Fluid- any material or substance which flows or moves whether in a semisolid, liquid, sludge, gas or any other form or state.
Formation- a body of rock characterized by a degree of lithologic homogeneity revealingly, but not necessarily, tabular and is mappable on the earth's surface or traceable in the subsurface.
Formation Fluid- fluid present in a formation under natural conditions as opposed to introduced fluids, such as drilling muds.
Generator- any person, by site location, whose act or process produces hazardous waste identified or listed in the Louisiana Hazardous Waste Management Program.
Ground Water- water below the land surface in a zone of saturation.
Hazardous Waste- a hazardous waste as defined in the Louisiana Hazardous Waste Management Program.
Hazardous Waste Management (HWM) Facility- all contiguous land, and structures, other appurtenances, and improvements on the land, used for treating, storing or disposing of hazardous waste.
Improved Sinkhole-a naturally occurring karst depression or other natural crevice found in volcanic terrain and other geologic settings which have been modified by man for the purpose of directing and emplacing fluids into the subsurface.
Injection Well- a well into which fluids are being injected other than fluids associated with active drilling operations.
Injection Zone- a geological formation, group of formations or part of a formation receiving fluids through a well.
Ionizing Radiation- any electromagnetic or particulate radiation capable of producing ions, directly or indirectly, in its passage through matter. It includes any or all of the following: alpha rays, beta rays, gamma rays, X-rays, neutrons, high-speed electrons, high-speed protons, and other atomic particles; but not sound or radio waves, or visible, infrared or ultraviolet light.
Lithology- the description of rocks on the basis of their physical and chemical characteristics.
Major Facility- any Class I or IV hazardous waste injection well facility or activity.
Manifest- the shipping document originated and signed by the generator which contains the information required by the Hazardous Waste Management Program.
New Injection Well- a well which began injection after the Louisiana Underground Injection Control program is approved and the applicable (Office of Conservation) rules and regulations are promulgated.
Owner or Operator- the owner or operator of any facility or activity subject to regulation under the UIC program.
Packer- a device lowered into a well to produce a fluid tight seal within the casing.
Permit- an authorization, license, or equivalent control document issued by the commissioner to implement the requirements of these regulations. Permit includes, but it is not limited to, area permits and emergency permits. Permit does not include UIC authorization by rule or any permit which has not yet been the subject of final agency action, such as a draft permit.
Person- an individual, association, partnership, corporation, municipality, state or federal agency, or an agent or employee thereof.
Plugging- the act or process of stopping the flow of water, oil or gas into or out of a formation through a borehole or well penetrating that formation.
Plugging Record- a systematic listing of permanent or temporary abandonment of water, oil, gas, test, exploration, and waste injection wells.
Point of Injection-the last accessible sampling point prior to waste fluids being released into the subsurface environment through a Class V injection well. For example, the point of injection of a Class V septic system might be the distribution box, the last accessible sampling point before the waste fluids drain into the underlying soils. For a dry well, it is likely to be the well bore itself
Pressure- the total load or force per unit area acting on a surface.
Project- a group of wells in a single operation.
Public Water System- a system for the provision to the public of piped water for human consumption, if such system has at least 15 service connections or regularly serves at least 25 individuals. Such term includes:
a. any collection, treatment, storage, and distribution facilities under control of the operator of such system and used primarily in connection with such system; and
b. any collection or pretreatment storage facilities not under such control which are used primarily in connection with such system.
Radiation- any electromagnetic or ionizing radiation including gamma rays and X-rays, alpha and beta particles, high-speed electrons, neutrons, protons and other nuclear particles; but not sound waves. Unless specifically stated otherwise, these regulations apply only to ionizing radiation.
Radioactive Material- any material, whether solid, liquid, or gas, which emits radiation spontaneously.
Radioactive Waste- any waste which contains radioactive material for which no use or reuse is intended and which is to be discarded.
RCRA- the Solid Waste Disposal Act as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 ( P.L. 94-580 as amended by P.L. 95-609, 42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.).
Sanitary Waste-liquid or solid wastes originating solely from humans and human activities, such as wastes collected from toilets, showers, wash basins, sinks used for cleaning domestic areas, sinks used for food preparation, clothes washing operations, and sinks or washing machines where food and beverage serving dishes, glasses, and utensils are cleaned. Sources of these wastes may include single or multiple residences, hotels and motels, restaurants, bunkhouses, schools, ranger stations, crew quarters, guard stations, campgrounds, picnic grounds, day-use recreation areas, other commercial facilities, and industrial facilities provided the waste is not mixed with industrial waste.
Schedule of Compliance- a schedule or remedial measures included in a permit, including an enforceable sequence of interim requirements (for example, actions, operations, or milestone events) leading to compliance with the act and these regulations.
Septic System-a well that is used to emplace sanitary waste below the surface and is typically comprised of a septic tank and subsurface fluid distribution system or disposal system.
Site- the land or water area where any facility or activity is physically located or conducted including adjacent land used in connection with the facility or activity.
Skin Effect- the blockage or plugging of the well perforations or near wellbore formation face from solids in the waste stream that results in increased injection pressures and can be measured by accepted engineering test procedures.
Sole or Principal Source Aquifer- an aquifer which is the sole or principal drinking water source for an area and which, if contaminated, would create a significant hazard to public health.
State- the state of Louisiana.
Stratum (plural Strata)-a single sedimentary bed or layer, regardless of thickness, that consists of generally the same kind of rock material.
Subsurface Fluid Distribution System-an assemblage of perforated pipes, drain tiles, or other similar mechanisms intended to distribute fluids below the surface of the ground.
Surface Casing- the first string of casing to be installed in the well, excluding conductor casing.
Total Dissolved Solids- the total dissolved filterable solids as determined by use of the method specified in the 14th edition, pp. 91-92, of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Waste Water.
UIC- the Louisiana State Underground Injection Control Program.
Underground Injection-a well injection.
Underground Source of Drinking Water (USDW)-an aquifer or its portion:
a. which supplies any public water system; or
b. which contains a sufficient quantity of ground water to supply a public water system; and
i. currently supplies drinking water for human consumption; or
ii. contains fewer than 10,000 mg/1 total dissolved solids; and which is not an exempted aquifer.
USDW- Underground Source of Drinking Water.
Well-a bored, drilled, or driven shaft whose depth is greater than the largest surface dimension; or, a dug hole whose depth is greater than the largest surface dimension; or, an improved sinkhole; or, a subsurface fluid distribution system.
Well Injection- the subsurface emplacement of fluids through an injection well.
Well Plug- a fluid-tight seal installed in a borehole or well to prevent movement of fluids.
Well Stimulation- several processes used to clean the well bore, enlarge channels, and increase pore space in the interval to be injected thus making it possible for wastewater to move more readily into the formation, and includes:
a. surging;
b. jetting;
c. blasting;
d. acidizing; or
e. hydraulic fracturing.
Workover- to perform one or more of a variety of remedial operations on an injection well, such as cleaning, perforation, change tubing, deepening, squeezing, plugging back, etc. (see §109. A.8 b
La. Admin. Code tit. 43, § XVII-101