What is the UIC program?

Within the past few decades, the realization that subsurface injection could contaminate ground water has prompted many states to develop programs and methods to protect underground sources of useable water. Additionally, to increase ground water protection, a federal Underground Injection Control (UIC) program was established under the provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974. This federal program establishes minimum requirements for effective state UIC programs. Since ground water is a major source of drinking water in the United States, the UIC program requirements were designed to prevent contamination of Underground Sources of Drinking Water (USDW) resulting from the operation of injection wells. A USDW is defined as an "aquifer or its portion which supplies any public water system, or contains less that 10,000 milligrams per liter total dissolved solids and is not an exempt aquifer."

Underground Injection Wells

Basically, injection wells are man-made or improved "holes" in the ground, which are deeper than their widest surface dimension and are used to discharge or dispose of fluids underground. When properly sited, constructed, and operated, injection wells can be an effective and environmentally safe means of fluid waste disposal. There are many different types of injection wells, but they are all similar in their basic function. The Federal UIC program has grouped injection wells into five types or Classes.