N.M. Admin. Code § 20.6.2.5205

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 23, December 10, 2024

Section 20.6.2.5205 - CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS FOR CLASS I NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE INJECTION WELLS AND CLASS III WELLS

A. General Construction Requirements Applicable to Class I non-hazardous waste injection wells and Class III wells.

(1) Construction of all Class I non-hazardous waste injection wells and all new Class III wells shall include casing and cementing. Prior to well injection, the discharger shall demonstrate that the construction and operation of:

(a) Class I non-hazardous waste injection wells will not cause or allow movement of fluids into ground water having 10,000 mg/l or less TDS except for fluid movement approved pursuant to Section 20.6.2.5103 NMAC;

(b) Class III wells will not cause or allow movement of fluids out of the injection zone into ground water having 10,000 mg/l or less TDS except for fluid movement approved pursuant to Section 20.6.2.5103 NMAC.

(2) The construction of each newly drilled well shall be designed for the proposed life expectancy of the well.

(3) In determining if the discharger has met the construction requirements of this Section and has demonstrated adequate construction, the secretary shall consider the following factors:

(a) Depth to the injection zone;

(b) Injection pressure, external pressure, annular pressure, axial loading, and other stresses that may cause well failure;

(c) Hole size;

(d) Size and grade of all casing strings, including wall thickness, diameter, nominal weight, length, joint specification, and construction material;

(e) Type and grade of cement;

(f) Rate, temperature, and volume of injected fluid;

(g) Chemical and physical characteristics of the injected fluid, including corrosiveness, density, and temperature;

(h) Chemical and physical characteristics of the formation fluids including pressure and temperature;

(i) Chemical and physical characteristics of the receiving formation and confining zones including lithology and stratigraphy, and fracture pressure; and

(j) Depth, thickness and chemical characteristics of penetrated formations which may contain ground water.

(4) To demonstrate adequate construction, appropriate logs and other tests shall be conducted during the drilling and construction of new Class I non-hazardous waste injection wells or Class III wells or during work-over of existing wells in preparation for reactivation or for change to injection use. A descriptive report interpreting the results of such logs and tests shall be prepared by a knowledgeable log analyst and submitted to the secretary for review prior to well injection. The logs and tests appropriate to each type of injection well shall be based on the intended function, depth, construction and other characteristics of the well, availability of similar data in the area of the drilling site and the need for additional information that may arise from time to time as the construction of the well progresses.

(a) The discharger shall demonstrate through use of sufficiently frequent deviation checks, or another equivalent method, that a Class I non-hazardous waste injection well or Class III well drilled using a pilot hole then enlarged by reaming or another method, does not allow a vertical avenue for fluid migration in the form of diverging holes created during drilling.

(b) The secretary may require use by the discharger of the following logs to assist in characterizing the formations penetrated and to demonstrate the integrity of the confining zones and the lack of vertical avenues for fluid migration:

(i) For casing intended to protect ground water having 10,000 mg/l or less TDS: Resistivity, spontaneous potential, and caliper logs before the casing is installed; and a cement bond, or temperature log after the casing is set and cemented.

(ii) For intermediate and long strings of casing intended to facilitate injection: Resistivity, spontaneous potential, porosity, and gamma ray logs before the casing is installed; and fracture finder or spectral logs; and a cement bond or temperature log after the casing is set and cemented.

(5) In addition to the requirements of Section 20.6.2.5102 NMAC, the discharger shall provide notice prior to commencement of drilling, cementing and casing, well logging, mechanical integrity tests, and any well work-over to allow opportunity for on-site inspection by the secretary or his representative.

B. Additional Construction Requirements for Class I non-hazardous waste injection wells.

(1) All Class I non-hazardous waste injection wells shall be sited in such a manner that they inject into a formation which is beneath the lowermost formation containing, within one quarter mile of the well bore, ground water having 10,000 mg/l TDS or less except as approved pursuant to Section 20.6.2.5103 NMAC.

(2) All Class I non-hazardous waste injection wells shall be cased and cemented by circulating cement to the surface.

(3) All Class I non-hazardous waste injection wells, except those municipal wells injecting noncorrosive wastes, shall inject fluids through tubing with a packer set in the annulus immediately above the injection zone, or tubing with an approved fluid seal as an alternative. The tubing, packer, and fluid seal shall be designed for the expected length of service.

(a) The use of other alternatives to a packer may be allowed with the written approval of the secretary. To obtain approval, the operator shall submit a written request to the secretary which shall set forth the proposed alternative and all technical data supporting its use. The secretary may approve the request if the alternative method will reliably provide a comparable level of protection to ground water. The secretary may approve an alternative method solely for an individual well or for general use.

(b) In determining the adequacy of the specifications proposed by the discharger for tubing and packer, or a packer alternative, the secretary shall consider the following factors:

(i) Depth of setting;

(ii) Characteristics of injection fluid (chemical nature or characteristics, corrosiveness, and density);

(iii) Injection pressure;

(iv) Annular pressure;

(v) Rate, temperature and volume of injected fluid; and

(vi) Size of casing.

C. Additional Construction Requirements for Class III wells.

(1) Where injection is into a formation containing ground water having 10,000 mg/l or less TDS, monitoring wells shall be completed into the injection zone and into the first formation above the injection zone containing ground water having 10,000 mg/l or less TDS which could be affected by the extraction operation. If ground water having 10,000 mg/l or less TDS below the injection zone could be affected by the extraction operation, monitoring of such ground water may be required. These wells shall be of sufficient number, located and constructed so as to detect any excursion of injection fluids, process byproducts, or formation fluids outside the extraction area or injection zone. The requirement for monitoring wells in aquifers designated pursuant to Section 20.6.2.5103 NMAC may be waived by the secretary, provided that the absence of monitoring wells does not result in an increased risk of movement of fluids into protected ground waters having 10,000 mg/l or less TDS.

(2) Where injection is into a formation which does not contain ground water having 10,000 mg/l or less TDS, no monitoring wells are necessary in the injection zone. However, monitoring wells may be necessary in adjoining zones with ground water having 10,000 mg/l or less TDS that could be affected by the extraction operation.

(3) In an area that the secretary determines is subject to subsidence or collapse, the required monitoring wells may be required to be located outside the physical influence of that area.

(4) In determining the adequacy of monitoring well location, number, construction and frequency of monitoring proposed by the discharger, the secretary shall consider the following factors:

(a) The local geology and hydrology;

(b) The operating pressures and whether a negative pressure gradient to the monitor well is being maintained;

(c) The nature and volume of injected fluid, formation water, and process by-products; and

(d) The number and spacing of Class III wells in the well field.

N.M. Admin. Code § 20.6.2.5205

9-20-82, 12-1-95; 20.6.2.5205 NMAC - Rn, 20 NMAC 6.2.V.5205, 1-15-01; A, 12-1-01