7 Del. Admin. Code § 7102-4.0
The following words and phrases, when used in these Regulations, have the meaning ascribed to them as follows, unless the text clearly indicates otherwise:
Acronyms:
ASR means Aquifer Storage and Recovery
CFR means the Code of Federal Regulations
CWA means the Clean Water Act
DEPA means the Delaware Environmental Protection Act
DNREC means the State of Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
DW means the Division of Water
EAB means the Environmental Appeals Board established by 7 Del. C. § 6007
EPA means the United States Environmental Protection Agency
GWDS means the Groundwater Discharges Section
NAICS means North American Industrial Classification System
NPDES means National Pollution Discharge Elimination System
OWTDS means an On-Site Wastewater Treatment and Disposal System
POTW means Publicly Owned Treatment Works
RCRA means the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976
RIB means Rapid Infiltration Basin
SDWA means the Safe Drinking Water Act
SIC means Standard Industrial Classification
TMDL means Total Maximum Daily Load
UIC means Underground Injection Control
USDW means Underground Source(s) of Drinking Water
Definitions:
"Abandoned well" means a well whose use has been permanently discontinued or which is in a state of disrepair such that it cannot be used for its intended purpose or for observation purposes.
"Act" means the Clean Water Act (formerly referred to as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972).
"Administrator" means the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or an authorized representative.
"Annulus" means the space between the well casing and the wall of the bore hole; the space between concentric strings of casing; the space between casing and tubing.
"Applicant" means the owner or legally authorized agent of the owner as evidenced by sufficient written documentation.
"Application" means the DNREC standard forms for applying for a permit, including any additions, revisions or modifications to the forms.
"Appropriate Act and Regulations" means the Clean Water Act (CWA); the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA); or Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), whichever is applicable; and applicable regulations promulgated under those statutes. In the case of an Approved State Program, Appropriate Act and Regulations includes program requirements.
"Approved program" or "Approved State" means a State or interstate program which has been approved or authorized by EPA.
"Approved State Program" means a UIC program administered by the State or Indian Tribe that has been approved by EPA according to SDWA Sections 1422 and 1425.
"Aquifer" means a geological formation, group of formations, or part of a formation that is capable of yielding a significant amount of water to a well or spring.
"Aquifer Storage and Recovery (well)" means a well that is utilized for the purpose of storing potable water in an aquifer; potable water is injected into the aquifer and withdrawn at a later date.
"Area of review" or "(AoR)" means the region surrounding the geologic sequestration project where USDWs may be endangered by the injection activity. The area of review is delineated using computational modeling that accounts for the physical and chemical properties of all phases of the injected carbon dioxide stream and displaced fluids, and is based on available site characterization, monitoring, and operational data.
"Authorization by Rule" means the operation of a category of injection wells operated in compliance with these Regulations, without the need for a permit or Rule Authorization letter; and this activity does not endanger underground sources of drinking water and the activity complies with other UIC program requirements.
"Automatic shut-off device" means a valve which closes when a pre-determined pressure or flow value is exceeded. Shut-off devices in injection wells can automatically shut down injection activities preventing an excursion outside of the permitted values.
"Ball valve" means a valve consisting of a hole drilled through a ball placed in between two seals. The valve is closed when the ball is rotated in the seals so the flow path no longer aligns and is blocked.
"Biosphere" means the part of the Earth's crust, waters, and atmosphere that supports life.
"Brine" means a strong saline solution; also refers to the discharge fluid generated by a water treatment process.
"Buoyancy" means the upward force on one phase (e.g., a fluid) produced by the surrounding fluid (e.g., a liquid or a gas) in which it is fully or partially immersed, caused by differences in pressure or density.
"Capillary force" means the adhesive force that holds a fluid in a capillary or a pore space. Capillary force is a function of the properties of the fluid, and surface and dimensions of the space. If the attraction between the fluid and surface is greater than the interaction of fluid molecules, the fluid will be held in place.
"Caprock" See confining zone.
"Carbon dioxide plume" means the extent underground, in three dimensions, of an injected carbon dioxide stream.
"Carbon dioxide (CO2) stream" means the carbon dioxide that has been captured from an emission source (e.g., a power plant), plus incidental associated substances derived from the source materials and the capture process, and any substances added to the stream to enable or improve the injection process. This subpart does not apply to any carbon dioxide stream that meets the definition of a hazardous waste under 40 CFR Part 261.
"Casing" means a pipe or tubing of appropriate material, of varying diameter and weight, lowered into a borehole during or after drilling in order to support the sides of the hole and thus prevent the walls from caving, to prevent loss of drilling mud into porous ground, or to prevent water, gas, or other fluid from entering or leaving the hole. The two types of casing in most injection wells are (1) surface casing, the outermost casing that extends from the surface to the base of the lowermost USDW and (2) long-string casing, which extends from the surface to or through the injection zone.
"Catastrophic collapse" means the sudden or utter failure of overlying strata caused by removal of underlying materials.
"Cement" means the material used to support and seal the well casing to the rock formations exposed in the borehole. Cement also protects the casing from corrosion and prevents movement of injectate up the borehole. The composition of the cement may vary based on the well type and purpose; cement may contain latex, mineral blends, or epoxy.
"Cementing" means the operation whereby a Portland cement slurry is pumped into a drilled hole and forced behind the casing.
"Cesspool" means a drywell that receives untreated sanitary waste containing human excreta, and which sometimes has an open bottom and perforated sides; or a covered pit with a porous lining into which wastewater is discharged and allowed to seep or leach into the surrounding soils with or without an absorption facility.
"Class (I, II, III, IV, V, VI) Well" see Section 58.0, Classification of Injection Wells
"Class V Storm Water Drainage Well" means subsurface infiltration wells or pipes to manage surface water runoff (rainwater or snow melt); Storm water infiltration systems with piping to enhance infiltration capabilities meet the UIC definition of a Class V well.
"Code of Federal Regulations" or "(CFR)" means the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the U.S. Federal Government.
"Commercial Facility" means any structure or building, or any portion therefore, other than a residential dwelling.
"Community System" means an on-site wastewater treatment and disposal system which serves more than three (3) lots, parcels, condominium units or units of a planned development.
"Confined Aquifer" means an aquifer bounded above and below by impermeable beds or by beds of distinctly lower permeability than that of the aquifer itself and containing Groundwater. An aquifer containing Groundwater which is at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure is one in which water in a well will rise to a level above the top of the aquifer.
"Confining bed" means a body of impermeable or distinctly less permeable material stratigraphically adjacent to one or more aquifers.
"Confining Layer" means a body of impermeable or distinctly less permeable material stratigraphically adjacent to one or more aquifers.
"Confining zone" means a geological formation, group of formations, or part of a formation that is capable of limiting fluid movement above an injection zone.
"Contaminant" means any physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance or matter in water.
"Conventional mine" means an open pit or underground excavation for the production of minerals.
"Corrective action" means the use of Director approved methods to ensure that wells within the area of review do not serve as conduits for the movement of fluids into USDWs.
"Corrosive" means having the ability to wear away a material by chemical action.
"CWA" means the Clean Water Act (formerly referred to as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act or Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Amendments of 1972) Pub.L. 92-500, as amended by Pub.L. 95-217 and Pub.L. 95-576 : 33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq.
"Delaware Environmental Protection Act" or "DEPA" means the State of Delaware Environmental Protection Act codified in Chapter 60 of Title 7 of the Delaware Code.
"Department" means the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control of the State of Delaware (DNREC) established by Chapter 80 of Title 29 of the Delaware Code and exercising the authority delegated thereby and by Chapter 60 of Title 7 of the Delaware Code.
"Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control" or "DNREC" means the State of Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
"Dip" means the angle between a planar feature, such as a sedimentary bed or a fault, and the horizontal plane.
"Director" means the Director of DNREC's Division of Water.
"Disposal well" means a well used for the disposal of waste into a subsurface stratum.
"Domestic Effluent" means treated domestic/sanitary wastewater.
"Domestic wastewater" means the liquid and water-borne human and household type wastes derived from residential, industrial, institutional, or commercial sources.
"Down Gradient" means an area that has a lower potentiometric surface (hydraulic head) than a comparative reference point.
"Draft permit" means a prepared document indicating the Department's tentative decision to issue or deny, modify, revoke and reissue, terminate, or reissue a permit. A notice of intent to terminate a permit and a notice of intent to deny a permit are types of draft permits. A denial of a request for modification, revocation and reissuance, or termination, is not a draft permit. A proposed permit is not a draft permit.
"Drilling mud" means a heavy suspension used in drilling an injection well, introduced down the drill pipe and through the drill bit.
"Drywell" means a well, other than an improved sinkhole or subsurface fluid distribution system, generally completed above the water table so that its bottom and sides are typically dry except when receiving fluids.
"Ductility" means the ability of a material to sustain stress until it fractures.
"DW" means the Division of Water.
"Effective date of a UIC program" means the date that a State UIC program is approved or established by the Department.
"Emergency permit" means a UIC permit issued in accordance with Section 35.0 of these Regulations.
"Enhanced Coal Bed Methane recovery" or "ECBM recovery" means the process of injecting a gas (e.g., CO2) into coal, where it is adsorbed to the coal surface and methane is released. The methane can be captured and produced for economic purposes; when CO2 is injected, it adsorbs to the surface of the coal, where it remains trapped or sequestered.
"Enhanced Oil or Gas Recovery or "EOR/EGR" means the process of injecting a fluid (e.g., water, brine, or CO2) into an oil or gas bearing formation to recover residual oil or natural gas. The injected fluid thins (decreases the viscosity) and/or displaces extractable oil and gas, which is then available for recovery. This is also used for secondary or tertiary recovery.
"Environmental Appeals Board" means the Environmental Appeals Board established by 7 Del. C. § 6007.
"Environmental Protection Agency" or "EPA" means the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
"Exempted aquifer" means an aquifer or its portion that meets the criteria in the definition of underground source of drinking water but which has been exempted according to the procedures in Section 57.0 of these Regulations.
"Existing injection well" means an injection well other than a new injection well.
"Experimental technology" means a technology which has not been proven feasible under the conditions in which it is being tested.
"Exploratory pilot hole" means a hole drilled for the purpose of obtaining subsurface information or as a guide for the drill bit to follow when drilling the final hole.
"Exploratory well" means a cased well drilled in an area in which there is limited hydrologic and geologic data, to obtain sufficient data to determine the feasibility of using an injection well at the site.
"Facility" means any building, any structure, any complex of buildings or structures, or any process, production equipment or machinery, which makes it possible for an activity to be conducted.
"Fact Sheet" means a document that briefly sets forth the principal facts and the significant factual, legal, methodological and policy questions considered in preparing the draft permit.
"Fault" means a surface or zone of rock fracture along which there has been displacement.
"Flapper valve" means a valve consisting of a hinged flapper that seals the valve orifice. In Class VI wells, flapper valves can engage to shut off the flow of the CO2 when acceptable operating parameters are exceeded.
"Flow rate" means the volume per time unit given to the flow of gases or other fluid substance which emerges from an orifice, pump, turbine, or which passes along a conduit or channel.
"Fluid" means material or substance which flows or moves whether in a semisolid, liquid, sludge, gas, or any other form or state.
"Formation" means a body of consolidated or unconsolidated rock characterized by a degree of lithologic homogeneity which is prevailingly, but not necessarily, tabular and is able to be mapped on the earth's surface or traceable in the subsurface.
"Formation fluid" means fluid present in a formation under natural conditions as opposed to introduced fluids, such as drilling mud.
"Generator" means any person, by site location, whose act or process produces waste.
"Geological formation" means a layer of rock that is made up of a certain type of rock or a combination of types.
"Geologic sequestration or "GS" means the long-term containment of a gaseous, liquid or supercritical carbon dioxide stream in subsurface geologic formations. This term does not apply to CO2 capture or transport.
"Geologic sequestration project" means an injection well or wells used to emplace a carbon dioxide stream beneath the lowermost formation containing a USDW; or, wells used for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide that have been granted a waiver of the injection depth requirements pursuant to these requirements; or, wells used for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide that have received an expansion to the areal extent of an existing Class II EOR/EGR aquifer exemption pursuant to these requirements. It includes the subsurface three-dimensional extent of the carbon dioxide plume, associated area of elevated pressure, and displaced fluids, as well as the surface area above that delineated region.
"Geophysical surveys" means the use of geophysical techniques (e.g., seismic, electrical, gravity, or electromagnetic surveys) to characterize subsurface rock formations.
"Groundwater" means any water naturally found under the surface of the earth or water below the land surface in a zone of saturation.
"GWDS" means the Groundwater Discharges Section of the Division of Water.
"Hazardous waste" means a hazardous waste as defined in the State of Delaware Regulations Governing Hazardous Waste.
"Hazardous Waste Management facility" or "HWM facility" means all contiguous land, and structures, other appurtenances, and improvements on the land used for treating, storing, or disposing of hazardous waste. A facility may consist of several treatment, storage, or disposal operational units (for example, one or more landfills, surface impoundments, or combination of them).
"Improved sinkhole" means a naturally occurring karst depression or other natural crevice found in volcanic terrain and other geologic settings which have been modified by man for the purpose of directing and emplacing fluids into the subsurface.
"Industrial Waste" means any water-borne liquid, gaseous, solid or other waste substance or a combination thereof resulting from any process of industry, manufacturing, trade or business, or from the development of any agricultural or natural resource.
"Injectate" means the fluid that is being discharged or injected; this is also known as the CO2 stream.
"Injection interval" means that part of the injection zone in which the well is screened, or in which the waste is otherwise directly emplaced.
"Injection point" means a well or other subsurface injection system, designed for the emplacement of a fluid or fluids into the subsurface.
"Injection well" means a well into which fluids are being injected.
"Injection zone" means a geological formation, group of formations, or part of a formation receiving injectate through a well.
"Interstate agency" means an agency of two or more States established by or under an agreement or compact approved by the United States Congress, or any other agency of two or more States having substantial powers or duties pertaining to the control of pollution as determined and approved by the Department under the appropriate Act and regulations.
"Large-capacity cesspool" means a cesspool located at a non-residential establishment or a cesspool having the capability of serving at least 20 persons per day.
"Large System" means any On-site Wastewater Treatment and Disposal System (OWTDS) with a projected wastewater design flow rate equal to or greater than 2,500 gallons per day.
"Lithology" means the description of rocks on the basis of their physical and chemical characteristics.
"Major Class V injection well" means any Class V injection well for which a UIC permit is required that injects any of the following: more than 25,000 gallons of fluid per day directly into a USDW; injects domestic or industrial wastewater directly into a USDW; injects cooling water with additives; is an experimental injection well; is used as a salt water intrusion barrier; or is used to inject fluids into a confined aquifer.
"Major facility" means any RCRA, UIC, NPDES, or 404 facility or activity classified as such by the Department.
"Mechanical integrity or "MI" means the absence of significant leakage within the injection tubing, casing, or packer (known as internal mechanical integrity), or outside of the casing (known as external mechanical integrity).
"Mechanical Integrity Test" or "MIT" means a test performed on a well to confirm that a well maintains internal and external mechanical integrity. MITs are a means of measuring the adequacy of the construction of an injection well and a way to detect problems within the well system.
"Minor Modification" means modifications as described in Section 42.0 of these Regulations.
"Model" means a representation or simulation of a phenomenon or process that is difficult to observe directly or that occurs over long time frames. Models that support GS can predict the flow of CO2 within the subsurface, accounting for the properties and fluid content of the subsurface formations and the effects of injection parameters.
"Motor Vehicle Waste Disposal Well" means an injection well or disposal system that receives or has received fluids from engine repair or maintenance activities, such as an auto body repair shop, automotive repair shop, new and used car dealership, specialty repair shop (e.g., transmission and muffler repair shop), or any facility that does any engine maintenance/repair work.
"Municipality" means a city, town, county, district, association, or other political subdivision created by or pursuant to State law and having jurisdiction over disposal of sewage, industrial wastes, or other wastes, or a designated and approved management agency.
"NAICS" means North American Industrial Classification System [a 6-digit code which represents the facility's industrial activity or activities].
"New Injection Well" means an injection point (via well or subsurface injection activity) which began after the promulgation of the UIC Regulations on May 7, 1984; or an injection point which has never previously received written approval from the Department to inject a fluid.
"NPDES" means National Pollution Discharge Elimination System.
" On-Site Wastewater Treatment and Disposal System" or "OWTDS" means a conventional or alternative wastewater treatment and disposal system installed or proposed to be installed on land of the owner of the OWTDS or on other land on which the owner of the OWTDS has the legal right to install the system.
"Operational Testing" means a period, lasting up to two years under the construction permit, of full-scale injection operation for the purposes of long term testing, to determine potential fluid migration prior to issuing the operational permit.
"Operator" means owner or operator of any facility or activity subject to regulation under the RCRA, UIC, NPDES, or 404 programs.
"Owner" means person(s) who has a vested legal or equitable title to real or personal property, including an injection system.
"Packer" means a device lowered into a well to produce a fluid-tight seal within the casing. Also, a mechanical device that seals the outside of the tubing to the inside of the long string casing, isolating an annular space.
"Percolation rate" means the rate of water movement through a soil. Percolation rate is usually measured and assigned on the basis of elapsed time per unit volumetric water level drop. The most commonly used unit for expressing percolation rate is minutes per inch (MPI).
"Permeability" means the property of a soil horizon that enables the soil to transmit gases, liquid, or other substances.
"Permit" means a written approval, license, or equivalent control document issued by the Department, to implement the requirements of these Regulations, which has been publicly advertised.
"Permittee" means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, institution, cooperative enterprise, agency, municipality, commission, political subdivision, or duly established entity to which a permit is issued by the Department.
"Person" means any individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, federal agency, partnership, corporation (including a government corporation), association, state, municipality, and commission, political subdivision of a state or any interstate body.
"Pinch-out" means a situation where a formation thins to zero thickness.
"Plugging" means the act or process of stopping the flow of water, oil, or gas into or out of a formation through a borehole or well penetrating that formation.
"Plugging record" means a systematic listing of permanent or temporary abandonment of water, oil, gas, test, exploration and waste injection wells, and may contain a well log, description of amounts and types of plugging material used, the method employed for plugging, a description of formations which are sealed and a graphic log of the well showing formation location, formation thickness, and location of plugging structures.
"Point of injection" means the last accessible sampling point prior to waste fluids being released into the subsurface environment through an injection well. For example, the point of injection of a Class V septic system might be the distribution box- the last accessible sampling point before the waste fluids drain into the underlying soils. For a dry well, it is likely to be the well bore itself.
"Pollutant" means any substance, radioactive material, or waste heat which causes or contributes to, or may cause or contribute to, pollution.
"Pore space" means the open spaces in rock or soil. These are filled with water or other fluids such as brine (i.e., salty fluid). CO2 injected into the subsurface can displace pre-existing fluids to occupy some of the pore spaces of the rocks in the injection zone.
"Post-injection site care or "PISC" means the appropriate monitoring and other actions (including corrective action) needed following cessation of injection to ensure that USDWs are not endangered.
"Pressure" means the total load or force per unit area acting on a surface.
"Pressure front" means the zone of elevated pressure that is created by the injection of carbon dioxide into the subsurface. For GS projects, the pressure front of a CO2 plume refers to the zone where there is a pressure differential sufficient to cause the movement of injected fluids or formation fluids into a USDW.
"Project" means a group of wells in a single operation.
"Public Health Hazard" means a condition whereby there are sufficient types and amounts of biological, chemical, or physical, including radiological, agents relating to water or sewage which are likely to cause human illness, disorders, or disability. These include, but are not limited to, pathogens, viruses, bacteria, parasites, toxic chemicals, and radioactive isotopes.
"Publicly owned treatment works" or "POTW" means any device or system used in the treatment (including recycling and reclamation) of municipal sewage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature which is owned by a State or municipality. This definition includes sewers, pipes, or other conveyances only if they convey wastewater to a POTW providing treatment.
"Radioactive waste" means any waste which contains radioactive material in concentrations which exceed those listed in 10 CFR Part 20, Appendix B.
"Rapid Infiltration Basin" or "RIB" means a permeable earthen basin designed and operated to dispense treated domestic wastewater to the surficial aquifer.
"RCRA" means the Solid Waste Disposal Act as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 ( Pub.L. 94-580, as amended by Pub.L. 95-609, 42 U.S.C. 6901 et. seq.).
"Regional Administrator" means the Regional Administrator of the appropriate Regional Office of the Environmental Protection Agency or the authorized representative of the Regional Administrator.
"Reverse Osmosis" means the water treatment process by which water passes through a porous membrane in the direction opposite to that for natural osmosis when subjected to a hydrostatic pressure greater than the osmotic pressure.
"Rule Authorization letter" means a document approving a Class V injection activity that is not required to obtain a UIC permit, since the activity does not endanger underground sources of drinking water, and the injection activity complies with other UIC program requirements.
"Saline formations" means the subsurface geographically extensive sedimentary rock layers saturated with waters or brines that have a high total dissolved solids (TDS) content (i.e., over 10,000 mg/L TDS).
"Sanitary waste" means liquid or solid wastes originating solely from humans and human activities, such as wastes collected from toilets, showers, wash basins, sinks used for cleaning domestic areas, sinks used for food preparation, clothes washing operations, and sinks or washing machines where food and beverage serving dishes, glasses, and utensils are cleaned. Sources of these wastes may include single or multiple residences, hotels and motels, restaurants, bunkhouses, schools, ranger stations, crew quarters, guard stations, campgrounds, picnic grounds, day-use recreation areas, other commercial facilities, and industrial facilities provided the waste is not mixed with industrial waste.
"Schedule of compliance" means a schedule of remedial measures included in a permit, including an enforceable sequence of interim requirements (for example, actions, operations, or milestone events) leading to compliance with the appropriate Act and regulations.
"SDWA" means the Safe Drinking Water Act (Pub.L. 95-523, as amended by Pub.L. 95-1900; 42 U.S.C. § 300 f et seq.).
"Secretary" means the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control or the Secretary's duly authorized designee.
"Seepage Pit" means a covered pit with a porous lining into which wastewater is discharged and allowed to seep or leach into the surrounding soil and is preceded by a septic tank.
"Septic system" see On-Site Wastewater Treatment and Disposal System.
"SIC" means Standard Industrial Classification (a 4-digit code which represents the facility's industrial activity(ies)).
"Site" means the land or water area where any facility or activity is physically located or conducted, including adjacent land used in connection with the facility or activity.
"Site closure" means the point/time, as determined by the Director following the requirements, at which the owner or operator of a GS site is released from post-injection site care responsibilities.
"Sorption (absorption, adsorption)" means as follows: Absorption refers to gases or liquids being incorporated into a material of a different state; adsorption is the adhering of a molecule or molecules to the surface of a different molecule.
"State" means one of the States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (except in the case of RCRA), the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or an Indian Tribe that meets the statutory criteria which authorize EPA to treat the Tribe in a manner similar to that in which it treats a State (except in the case of RCRA).
"State/EPA Agreement" means an agreement between the Regional Administrator of the EPA and the State which coordinates EPA and State activities, responsibilities and program.
"Stratigraphic zone (unit)" means a layer of rock (or stratum) that is recognized as a unit based on lithology, fossil content, age or other properties.
"Stratum" (plural: strata) means a single sedimentary bed or layer, regardless of thickness, that consists of generally the same kind of rock material.
"Subsidence" means the lowering of the natural land surface in response to: Earth movements; lowering of fluid pressure; removal of underlying supporting material by mining or solution of solids, either artificially or from natural causes; compaction due to wetting (hydro-compaction); oxidation of organic matter in soils; or added load on the land surface.
"Subsurface fluid distribution system" means an assemblage of perforated pipes, drain tiles, or other similar mechanisms intended to distribute fluids below the surface of the ground into the earth materials or aquifer.
"Surface casing" means the first string of well casing to be installed in the well.
"Test Well" means a well that is constructed for the purpose of demonstrating that a location is appropriate for the intended injection activity.
"Total dissolved solids" or "TDS" means the total dissolved (filterable) solids as determined by use of the method specified in 40 CFR Part 136 . The measurement, usually in mg/L, for the amount of all inorganic and organic substances suspended in liquid as molecules, ions, or granules. For injection operations, TDS typically refers to the saline (i.e., salt) content of water-saturated underground formations.
"Total Maximum Daily Load" means a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards. It is the sum of the allowable loads of a single pollutant from all contributing point and non-point sources, and includes a margin of safety and consideration of seasonal variations.
"Transferee" means the owner or operator receiving ownership and operational control of the well.
"Transferor" means the owner or operator transferring ownership and operational control of the well.
"Transmissive fault or fracture" means a fault or fracture that has sufficient permeability and vertical extent to allow fluids to move between formations.
"Trapping" means the physical and geochemical processes by which injected CO2 is sequestered in the subsurface. Physical trapping occurs when buoyant CO2 rises in the formation until it reaches a layer that inhibits further upward migration or is immobilized in pore spaces due to capillary forces. Geochemical trapping occurs when chemical reactions between dissolved CO2 and minerals in the formation lead to the precipitation of solid carbonate minerals.
"Treatment" means any method, technique, or process, including neutralization, designed to change the physical, chemical, or biological character or composition of any hazardous waste so as to neutralize such wastes, or so as to recover energy or material resources from the waste, or so as to render such waste non-hazardous, or less hazardous; safer to transport, store or dispose of; or amenable for recovery, amenable for storage, or reduced in volume.
"UIC" means Underground Injection Control.
"Underground injection" means the subsurface emplacement of fluids, via a well.
"Underground Source(s) of Drinking Water" or "USDW" means an aquifer or its portion:
(1)
(i) Which supplies any public water system; or (ii) Which contains a sufficient quantity of Groundwater to supply a public water system; and (A) Currently supplies drinking water for human consumption; or (B) Contains fewer than 10,000 mg/l total dissolved solids; and (2) Which is not an exempted aquifer. An aquifer or portion of an aquifer that supplies any public water system or that contains a sufficient quantity of Groundwater to supply a public water system, and currently supplies drinking water for human consumption, or that contains fewer than 10,000 mg/l total dissolved solids and is not an exempted aquifer.
"Upgradient" means an area that has a higher potentiometric surface (hydraulic head) than a comparative reference point.
"Viscosity" means the property of a fluid or semi-fluid that offers resistance to flow. As a supercritical fluid, CO2 is less viscous than water and brine.
"Water pollution" means the human-made or human-induced alteration of the chemical, physical, biological, or radiological integrity of water.
"Well" means a bored, drilled, or driven shaft whose depth is greater than the largest surface dimension; or, a dug hole whose depth is greater than the largest surface dimension; or, an improved sinkhole; or, a subsurface fluid distribution system; For the purpose of these Regulations, this definition does not include geotechnical test; soil, telephone, and construction piling borings; fence posts, test pits, or horizontal closed loop heat pump circulation systems constructed within 20 feet of the ground surface.
"Well monitoring" means the measurement, by on-site instruments or laboratory methods, of the quality of water in a well.
"Well plug" means a watertight and gastight seal installed in a borehole or well to prevent movement of fluids.
"Well stimulation" means several processes used to clean the well bore, enlarge channels, and increase pore space in the interval to be injected thus making it possible for wastewater to move more readily into the formation, and includes (1) surging, (2) jetting, (3) blasting, (4) acidizing, (5) hydraulic fracturing.
"Zone of endangering influence" means that area in which the proposed injection may cause the injected fluid pressure in the injection zone (including dynamic and buoyancy pressures) to exceed the formation fluid pressure in an underground source of drinking water (when corrected for the hydrostatic pressure difference).
7 Del. Admin. Code § 7102-4.0