Section 534B.160 - Duties of well driller; standards for construction of well1. When drilling a dissolved mineral resource exploration well, a well driller shall: (a) Isolate zones of varying water quality to prevent the migration of fluids between aquifers;(b) Prevent the contamination or waste of groundwater; and(c) Minimize damage to the environment, ground and surface waters, property and any known oil, gas or geothermal resources.2. The following standards apply to the construction of a dissolved mineral resource exploration well: (a) The top of the casing must be at least 18 inches above the surface of the ground;(b) The surface casing must: (1) Provide for the control of formation fluids and protection of groundwater, including, without limitation, setting sufficient casing to reach a depth below all known or reasonably estimated levels of good quality water to protect the aquifer and prevent blowouts or uncontrolled flows; and(2) Provide a minimum 2-inch annular space;(c) There must be a minimum 50-foot surface seal using neat cement;(d) If an intermediate string of casing is used which does not extend to the surface, the top of the liner must overlap the bottom of the surface casing by at least 100 feet; and(e) If thermoplastic casing is used:(1) The thermoplastic casing must be clearly marked as well casing.(2) The thermoplastic casing must comply with the standards adopted by ASTM International, designated as ASTM F480-14 for polyvinyl chloride casing and F2686-14 for glass fiber reinforced casing or the current designation at the time of installation. These publications are hereby adopted by reference. A copy of the standards may be obtained by mail from ASTM International at 100 Barr Harbor Drive, P.O. Box C700, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania 19428-2959, by telephone at (610) 832-9500 or at the Internet address https://www.astm.org for the price of $67 and $46, respectively.(3) The differential pressures and temperatures that may occur during the installation of the casing, the development of the well and the operation of the well must be considered by the well driller and the person responsible for designing the well.(4) The joint couplings must form a watertight seal.(5) For polyvinyl chloride casing, in each case, the standard dimension ratio must equal the outside diameter divided by the wall thickness and the wall thickness must: (I) For nominal diameters that are 6 inches or less, conform to a rating of schedule 40 or heavier; and(II) For nominal diameters that are more than 6 inches, conform to an ASTM International standard dimension ratio of schedule 21 or heavier.Nev. Admin. Code § 534B.160
Added to NAC by Comm'n on Mineral Resources by R109-17AP, eff. 5/16/2018Section 20 of Assembly Bill No. 52, chapter 507, Statutes of Nevada 2017, at page 3414 (NRS 534B.120)