Section 534A.260 - Requirements for casing1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2:(a) All wells must be cased in such a manner as to minimize damage to the environment, ground and surface waters, geothermal resources and property.(b) Except as otherwise ordered by the Administrator, the completion equipment for a well must be attached to the surface casing. All casing, except conductor casing, which reaches the surface must provide adequate anchorage for equipment for the prevention of a blowout and control of the pressure in the well.(c) Surface casing must: (1) Provide for the control of formation fluids and protection of fresh water. The cement for the surface casing must be circulated up the annulus to the surface. If the cement does not circulate or falls back, the casing must be cemented at the surface. Sufficient casing must be set to reach a depth below all known or reasonably estimated levels of fresh water to protect those aquifers and to prevent blowouts or uncontrolled flows.(2) Be cemented to a depth that is at least 10 percent of the proposed total depth of the well, with a minimum of 200 feet and a maximum of 1,500 feet of casing.(3) If the first string of surface casing has not been cemented in a competent geological formation or if an unusual drilling hazard exists, include a second string of surface casing that is cemented into or through a competent geological formation.(d) When intermediate casing is installed, cement must be circulated to the surface or to the top of the casing with at least a 100-foot overlap into the next string of casing.(e) Production casing may be set above or through the production or injection zone. Casing must be cemented to the surface or, if a liner is used, to the top of the casing. If surface casing overlaps into an intermediate string, the overlap must be at least 100 feet, solidly cemented and tested to withstand at least 750 pounds of differential pressure per square inch of gauge. A decline in the pressure of 10 percent or less at the surface in 30 minutes is acceptable. For geothermal domestic wells less pressure or another acceptable mechanical test may be approved by the Administrator.(f) For wells with downhole centralizers, casing strings must be properly centered and the top of the casing must be properly centered with the drilling rig during and immediately after the casing is cemented into place. The number and depth of the casing centralizer must be recorded in the well driller's log during the installation of the casing strings.(g) If a cellar is utilized, the design of the cellar must:(1) Prohibit any contact between soil and water and the casing and wellhead components; and(2) Prevent the occurrence of standing water around the casing and wellhead components.2. The Administrator may: (a) Impose alternate requirements for the surface casing of a well than those provided in paragraph (c) of subsection 1 to ensure that there is adequate protection of fresh water zones and blowout control. In considering whether to impose additional or alternate surface casing requirements, the Administrator may consider, without limitation, the known geological conditions of the area in which the well is drilled and any applicable engineering factors.(b) Grant an exception to the requirements of this section for a thermal gradient well that is less than 500 feet deep.Nev. Admin. Code § 534A.260
Added to NAC by Comm'n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-12-85; A by R032-19A, eff. 12/16/2019