Office of Conservation

Injection & Mining Division >> Underground Injection Control Section

Underground Injection Control (UIC) Section

Injection well relationship to USDWs

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The Underground Injection Control (UIC) section is responsible for administering a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved regulatory and permitting program.  Its core duty is to protect underground sources of drinking water (USDW), surface waters, and the land from endangerment by regulating the subsurface injection of hazardous and nonhazardous waste fluids; subsurface storage of liquid, liquefied, and gaseous fluids; mineral solution mining; injection for enhanced oil recovery; and carbon dioxide sequestration. 

The program is responsible for the administration, permitting, inspection, and enforcement activities under R.S. 30:4.1, LAC 43:XVII, Subpart 1-4 and LAC 43:XIX, Subpart 1, Chapter 4. The UIC Program was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a result of the 1977 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The Office of Conservation received primary enforcement authority (primacy) for the regulation of Class I-V injection and disposal wells in 1982 and primacy was received for Class VI wells in 2024. Descriptions of the six (6) classes of injections wells regulated by the UIC program and the (6) wells identified by the EPA are given in the attached Six Classes of Injection Wells document.  Seven (7) Conservation Enforcement Specialists (CES) are responsible for field surveillance, inspection, and enforcement activities.  The inspection area for each CES inspector is shown in the UIC CES Parish Assignment Map.

An Underground Source of Drinking Water (USDW) is defined as an aquifer or its portion which supplies any public water system or contains a sufficient quantity of ground water to supply a public water system and currently supplies drinking water for human consumption or contains fewer than 10,000 mg/l total dissolved solids and which is not an exempted aquifer.

 

Injection & Mining Policy Statements

  • IMD-GS-15Bottom of Zone Plug Requirements for Class II Salt Water Disposal (SWD) and Enhanced Recovery (EOR) Injection Wells (effective 6/5/2024)
  • IMD-GS-14Minimum standards for sonar caliper survey reports in solution-mined salt caverns (Class III-BR, Class II-HSW, and Class V-Storage) effective 1/9/2023
  • IMD-GS-13Fluid Analysis Requirements for Class II Salt Water Disposal (SWD) and Enhanced Recovery (EOR) Wells
  • IMD-GS-12Public Reporting of UIC Violations
  • IMD-GS-12, UIC Incident ReportUIC Incident Report
  • IMD-GS-11Maximum Allowable Formation Pressure (MAFP) in Class II Salt Water Disposal (SWD) Wells and Enhanced Recovert (EOR) Wells Injecting Produced Water or Brine (9-1-2017)
  • IMD-GS-10Location Plat Requirements for the Injection and Mining Division (5/24/2011)
  • IMD-GS-09, Amendment 1Determination of a Maximum Allowable Surface Injection Pressure for Class II Saltwater Disposal and Enhanced Oil Recovery Wells by Applying the Provisions of LAC 43:XIX.405.B.4 to the Confining Zone (2/15/2017). Revocation effective (02/03/2020)
    • IMD-GS-09 and IMD-GS-09, Amendment 1 Revocation Any increased injection pressures (MASIP) issued after effective date of this memorandum shall be in conformance with the current regulatory requirements of Statewide Order 29-B, Chapter 4 (LAC:XIX.Subpart 1) (02/03/2020). Any Class II wells previously issued an increased MASIP pursuant to Policy Numbers IMD-GS-09 and IMD-GS-09, Amendment 1 may continue to operate under said provisions and requirements until February 15, 2022
  • IMD-GS-08Public Notice Requirements for Applications for Solution-Mined Salt Caverns, Hydrocarbon Storage in a Solution-mined Salt Cavern, and Associated SWD Wells (4/2/2007)
  • IMD-GS-01, Amendment 4Single String Casing Completion Requirements for SWD and EOR wells (7/1/2016)
  • INTRA-OFFICE POLICY STATEMENT IMD 1999-03Maximum Allowable Surface Injection Pressure (MASIP) for Class II Disposal Wells

 

Reference Documents & Presentations


 

SALT CAVERN INFORMATION

 

UIC GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS

»  For UIC Guidance Documents see Injection & Mining Forms Page

 

CLASS VI CARBON SEQUESTRATION INFORMATION

» Class VI Carbon Sequestration Program Page

 

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