312 IAC 13-10-2 - Permanent abandonment of wells
Authority: IC 14-10-2-4; IC 25-39-4
Affected: IC 25-39
Sec. 2.
(a) A well
abandoned before January 1, 1988, must be sealed at or above the ground surface
by a welded, threaded, or mechanically attached watertight cap. The well shall
be maintained so the well does not become a source or channel of ground water
contamination. A well that poses a hazard to human health must also be plugged
under subsection (c). A cased or uncased bucket well or a hand dug well (other
than buried slab construction) that was abandoned before January 1, 1988, shall
be closed in conformance with one (1) of the following procedures:
(1) Covered with a reinforced concrete slab:
(A) at least four (4) inches thick;
and
(B) having a diameter larger
than the nominal diameter of the borehole or the well
casing.
(2) Equipped with
a properly reinforced cover:
(A) constructed
of pressure treated lumber;
(B)
having dimensions larger than the nominal diameter of the borehole or well
casing; and
(C) protected against
the water with roofing or other water repelling materials that are properly
maintained to ensure the integrity of the cover.
Closure shall not be performed under this subdivision, however, if the cover is in direct contact with ground water or surface water.
(3) Closed
as otherwise approved by the division.
(b) A well drilled before January 1, 1988,
and abandoned before January 1, 1994, shall be as follows:
(1) Sealed at or above the ground surface by
a welded, threaded, or mechanically attached watertight cap.
(2) Maintained so the well does not become a
source or channel of ground water contamination. A well that poses a hazard to
human health must also be plugged under subsection (c).
(c) A well abandoned after December 31, 1987,
shall be plugged by a water well driller or water well pump installer with an
impervious grouting material to prevent the following:
(1) Migration of materials or fluids in the
well.
(2) Loss of pressure in a
confined aquifer.
(d) A
well drilled after December 31, 1987, and not equipped with casing must be
plugged by a water well driller within seventy-two (72) hours after
completion.
(e) This subsection
applies as follows to a cased or uncased well abandoned after December 31,
1987:
(1) The plugging material must consist
of one (1) or a combination of the following:
(A) Neat cement with not more than five
percent (5%) by weight of bentonite additive.
(B) Bentonite slurry, which can include
polymers designed to retard swelling.
(C) Pelletized, medium grade, or coarse grade
crushed bentonite.
(D) Other
materials approved by the commission.
(2) The following methods apply:
(A) Cement and bentonite slurries shall be
pumped into place in a continuous operation with a grout pipe introducing the
plugging material at the bottom of the well and moving the pipe progressively
upward as the well is filled.
(B)
Plugging materials other than neat cement or bentonite slurry shall be
installed in a manner to prevent bridging of the well or borehole. The well or
borehole shall be measured periodically throughout the plugging process to
ensure that bridging does not occur.
(3) The following procedures apply:
(A) An abandoned well shall be disconnected
from the water system. Any substance that may interfere with plugging shall be
removed, if practicable.
(B) A
well, other than:
(i) a monitoring well; (ii)
a dewatering well; or (iii) an uncased borehole; shall be chlorinated before
abandonment as provided in
312 IAC
13-9-1.
(4) Unless otherwise approved by the
department, a cased well shall be plugged as follows:
(A) With neat cement, bentonite slurry, or
medium grade or coarse grade crushed or pelletized bentonite from the bottom of
the well to within two (2) feet below the ground surface.
(B) The well casing shall be severed at least
two (2) feet below the ground surface, and a cement plug larger in diameter
than the borehole shall be:
(i) constructed
over the borehole; and
(ii) covered
with natural clay material to the ground surface.
(5) An uncased well
(other than a borehole drilled by a bucket rig or a dewatering well governed by
subdivision (8) or (9)) shall be filled with:
(A) natural clay materials;
(B) neat cement;
(C) bentonite slurry; or
(D) medium grade or coarse grade crushed or
pelletized bentonite; from the bottom of the borehole to a depth of not less
than twenty-five (25) feet below ground surface. The borehole shall be filled
with neat cement or medium grade or coarse grade crushed or pelletized
bentonite from a depth not less than twenty-five (25) feet below ground surface
to within two (2) feet below ground surface. The remaining borehole shall be
filled with natural clay material to ground surface.
(6) A cased or uncased monitoring well shall
be plugged from the bottom of the well or borehole to the ground surface with
a:
(A) bentonite slurry; or
(B) pelletized or coarse grade crushed
bentonite.
(7) A bucket
well shall be plugged as follows:
(A) A
bucket well installed as buried slab construction shall be filled with gravel
from the bottom of the well to within ten (10) feet below the ground surface.
Neat cement, bentonite slurry, or pelletized, medium grade, or coarse grade
crushed bentonite shall be installed in the casing or well pipe from not less
than ten (10) feet below the ground surface to within two (2) feet below the
ground surface. The well pipe shall be:
(i)
severed at least two (2) feet below the ground surface; and
(ii) covered with a cement plug larger in
diameter than the well pipe. The remaining hole shall be filled with natural
clay material to the ground surface.
(B) Bucket well construction:
(i) using casing with an inside diameter of
less than twelve (12) inches extending the entire length of the borehole;
and
(ii) equipped with a well
screen; shall be abandoned under subdivision (4)(A).
(C) An uncased borehole drilled by a bucket
rig shall be filled with natural clay material:
(i) from the bottom of the hole to the ground
surface; and
(ii) thoroughly tamped
to minimize settling.
(D)
For other than buried slab construction, a bucket well shall be filled with
gravel from the bottom of the well to at least five (5) feet below ground
surface. The top section of the concrete or tile well casing shall be removed
to cause the top of the well to terminate below ground surface. The well shall
be filled with at least one (1) foot of:
(i)
neat cement;
(ii) bentonite slurry;
or
(iii) pelletized, medium grade,
or coarse grade crushed bentonite; from at least five (5) feet below ground
surface to the top of the well casing. The well casing shall be covered with a
cement plug larger in diameter than the borehole. The remaining hole shall be
filled with natural clay material to ground
surface.
(8) If
a dewatering well casing is removed following use, the remaining borehole shall
initially be filled with granular, pelletized, medium grade, or coarse grade
crushed bentonite a minimum of one (1) foot thick. The remainder of the
borehole shall be:
(A) filled with natural
earth materials obtained during the drilling process to the ground surface;
and
(B) thoroughly tamped to
minimize settling.
(9) If
a dewatering well casing is removed following use and the well site will be
excavated as part of the construction project, the remaining borehole shall be:
(A) filled with natural earth materials
obtained during the drilling process to the ground surface; and
(B) thoroughly tamped to minimize
settling.
(f)
The division shall be notified in writing of a well abandonment within thirty
(30) days after plugging is completed.
Notes
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