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Registration
Requirements
UIC Registration Requirements | Wellhead Protection Area | To Change the Status of a UIC Well | To Register a UIC Well
The Washington Department of Ecology has regulatory authority over the UIC Program for Washington State except for UIC wells located on tribal land. UIC wells on tribal land are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10. [See Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 173-218-070(1)(d) for definition of tribal land.] The majority of the UIC wells in WA are rule authorized, which means the UIC well does not need a permit. To be rule-authorized, a UIC well must meet two requirements:
Registration fulfills the inventory requirement. The Program requires all injection wells in the state to be registered once, whether or not they are used.
If the well is built after February 3, 2006 it is considered a “new” well and must be registered prior to use.
Class V UIC wells used to manage stormwater that were in use on February 3, 2006 are considered existing wells under the UIC regulation that was adopted on January 3, 2006.
Registration timelines (unless wells were previously registered) see WAC Chapter 173-218-090(2):
- If you own less than or equal to 50 wells you have until February 2009 (3 years from the effective date of the rule revision) to register them, or
- If you own more than 50 wells you have until February 2011 (5 years from the effective date of the rule revision) to register them.
- Request an extension from Ecology if additional time is needed.
For existing Class V UIC wells that are not used for stormwater management [see WAC Chapter 173-218-090(3)(b) and (c)]:
- If the well is registered it is considered rule-authorized, but the owner must complete an Ecology survey. The survey will be sent out to the registered well owner in 2007.
- If the well is not registered the owner must register it as soon as possible, and the UIC well must meet the requirements for a new well.
Registration is free, but requires completing a registration form. This information is entered into the UIC inventory.
Registration is especially important if the well is located in a Wellhead Protection Area, Critical Aquifer Recharge Area, or other sensitive water quality protection area. If a local government has a ground water protection area regulation or ordinance (CARA) in place, the UIC well must meet those requirements to be rule authorized (see WAC Chapter 173-218-090).
Washington Department of Health (DOH) has an on-line tool that displays the established well head protection areas in each county. Visit https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/eh/dw/swap/maps/default.cfm to see where the well head areas are located in your county. (You must register to use the tool. There is no charge to register.)
After the well is registered you can view the approval status of your well (rule-authorized or pending decision).
Registration forms (WORD version) and instructions are also available on the UIC Registration Forms page.
If a UIC well is located on tribal land then visit the EPA Region 10 website and down load the form.
The site owner (or designee) is responsible for keeping Ecology informed of the status of the well, e.g. active, closed, change in ownership or change in use, among others.
Contact us for more information
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