16 Tex. Admin. Code § 76.101 - Technical Requirements - Standards of Completion for Water Wells Encountering Water Injurious to Vegetation, Land or Other Water
(a) Upon encountering water injurious to
vegetation, land, or other water, a driller or installer shall:
(1) comply with the notification requirements
of §1901.254 and §1902.252 of the Code; and
(2) as quickly as possible, plug, repair or
properly complete the well pursuant to the standards adopted by the commission
in order to avoid injury or pollution.
(b) The driller may, subject to the consent
of the landowner or person having the well drilled, make the well into a
completed monitoring well or into a well otherwise producing injurious water in
accordance with §76.102.
(c)
If a driller encounters injurious water and the well is not plugged or made
into a completed monitoring well producing injurious water, the driller shall
ensure that the well drilled, deepened or altered is completed as quickly as
possible as follows:
(1) When injurious water
is encountered in a water well, the injurious water shall be sealed off and
confined to the zone(s) of origin.
(2) When injurious water is encountered in a
zone overlying fresh water, the driller shall case the water well from the
production zone back to the land surface to ensure the protection of water
quality.
(3) The annular space
between the casing and the wall of the borehole shall be pressure grouted with
positive displacement technique or the well is tremie pressured filled provided
the annular space is three inches larger than the casing with cement or
bentonite grout from the production zone to the land surface to ensure the
protection of groundwater. Bentonite grout may not be used if a water zone
contains chlorides above one thousand five hundred (1,500) parts per million
(milligrams per liter) or if hydrocarbons are present.
(4) When injurious water is encountered in a
zone underlying a fresh water zone, the part of the wellbore opposite the
injurious water zone shall be filled with pressured cement or bentonite grout
to the bottom of the production zone to prevent the entrance of the injurious
water into the water well. Bentonite grout may not be used if a water zone
contains chlorides above one thousand five hundred (1,500) parts per million
(milligrams per liter) or if hydrocarbons are present.
(5) For class V injection wells that
encounter injurious water, the driller must comply with applicable requirements
of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality 30 TAC Chapter 331.
(d) Upon encountering water that
may not be injurious to vegetation, land or other water but has the potential
to cause pollution if commingled with fresh water or water from a different
production zone, a driller or installer shall, as soon as possible, notify the
landowner, or person having the well drilled, and ensure that the water is
sealed off and confined to the zone of origin.
Notes
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