35 Ill. Adm. Code 730.113
Operating, Monitoring, and Reporting Requirements
Section 730
Section 730.113 Operating,
Monitoring, and Reporting Requirements
a) Operating Requirements. Operating requirements must, at a
minimum, specify the following:
1) That, except during stimulation, injection pressure at the
wellhead must not exceed a maximum that must be calculated so as to assure that
the pressure in the injection zone during injection does not initiate new
fractures or propagate existing fractures in the injection zone. In no case must
injection pressure initiate fractures in the confining zone or cause the
movement of injection or formation fluids into an underground source of
drinking water;
2) That injection between the outermost casing protecting
underground sources of drinking water and the well bore is prohibited; and
3) That, unless an alternative to a packer has been approved pursuant
to Section 730.112(c), the annulus between the tubing and the long string of
casings must be filled with a fluid approved by permit condition, and a pressure
prescribed by permit condition must be maintained on the annulus.
b) Monitoring Requirements. Monitoring requirements must, at a
minimum, include all of the following:
1) The analysis of the injected fluids with sufficient frequency
to yield representative data of their characteristics;
2) Installation and use of continuous recording devices to
monitor injection pressure, flow rate, and volume, and the pressure on the
annulus between the tubing and the long string of casing;
3) A demonstration of mechanical integrity pursuant to Section
730.108 at least once every five years during the life of the well; and
4) The type, number, and location of wells within the area of
review to be used to monitor any migration of fluids into and pressure in the
underground sources of drinking water, the parameters to be measured, and the
frequency of monitoring.
c) Reporting Requirements. Reporting requirements must, at a
minimum, include:
1) Quarterly reports to the Agency on each of the following:
A) The physical, chemical, and other relevant characteristics of
injection fluids;
B) The monthly average, maximum, and minimum values for injection
pressure, flow rate and volume, and annular pressure; and
C) The results of monitoring prescribed pursuant to subsection
(b)(4).
2) Reporting the results, with the first quarterly report after
the completion of each of the following:
A) Periodic tests of mechanical integrity;
B) Any other test of the injection well conducted by the permittee
if required by permit condition; and
C) Any well work over.
d) Ambient
1) Based on a site-specific assessment of the potential for fluid
movement from the well or injection zone and on the potential value of
monitoring wells to detect such movement, the Agency must require the owner or
operator to develop a monitoring program. At a minimum, the Agency must
require monitoring of the pressure buildup in the injection zone annually,
including at a minimum, a shut down of the well for a time sufficient to
conduct a valid observation of the pressure fall-off curve.
2) When prescribing a monitoring system the Agency may also
require:
A) Continuous monitoring for pressure changes in the first aquifer
overlying the confining zone. When such a well is installed, the owner or
operator must, on a quarterly basis, sample the aquifer and analyze for
constituents specified by permit condition;
B) The use of indirect, geophysical techniques to determine the
position of the waste front, the water quality in a formation designated by
permit condition or to provide other site-specific data;
C) Periodic monitoring of the ground water quality in the first
aquifer overlying the injection zone;
D) Periodic monitoring of the ground water quality in the
lowermost USDW; and
E) Any additional monitoring necessary to determine whether fluids
are moving into or between USDWs.
BOARD NOTE:
Derived from 40 CFR 146.13 (2017).