Underground Injection Control (UIC)

Program


Directions to KDHE and Visitor Parking

Information

The UIC Program at KDHE is administered by the UIC Unit within the Geology Section. The purpose of the UIC Program is to protect public health and safety, and the environment from injection activities. Injection well activities include the disposal of industrial waste into deep geologic formations, the solution mining of salt formations and the shallow injection of a variety of nonhazardous fluids below the land's surface.

The UIC program categorizes injection wells into five classes of wells. These are:

  • Class I:Wells used to inject hazardous wastes or dispose of industrial and municipal fluids beneath the lowermost formation containing, within one quarter (1/4) mile of the well bore, a source of fresh or usable water.
  • Class II: Wells used to inject fluids associated with the production of oil and natural gas or fluids/compounds used for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery. These wells normally inject below the lower-most fresh or usable water bearing zone except in cases where this zone is hydrocarbon producing. These wells are regulated by the Kansas Corporation Commission. The contact for the KCC is (316) 337-6197.
  • Class III: Wells which inject fluids for the extraction of minerals.>
  • Class IV: Wells which dispose of hazardous or radioactive wastes into or above a fresh or usable water bearing zone. Class IV wells are prohibited.

  • Class V: A Class V well is a system used to inject non-hazardous fluids underground. Fluids are injected either into or above an underground source of drinking water. This diverse group ranges from simple shallow wells to complex experimental injection technologies.

    Most Class V wells are "low-tech" and depend on gravity to drain fluids directly below the land surface. Drywells, cesspools, and septic system leach fields are examples of simple Class V wells. Because their construction often provides little or no pretreatment and these fluids are injected directly into or above an underground source of drinking water, proper management is important.

    More sophisticated Class V wells may rely on gravity or use pressure systems for fluid injection. Some sophisticated systems include advanced wastewater disposal systems used by industry, experimental wells used to test new or unproven technologies, and even systems used to inject and store water for later reuse.

UIC Forms, Procedures and Guidance Documents

Note: The files linked below require the Adobe Acrobat Reader® plugin. For assistance with download, installation, or use of the plugin, please contact Adobe Systems, Inc.® If you experience a problem with one of our files which you have successfully downloaded, please contact webmaster@kdheks.gov for assistance.

Regulations

Contact Information:

Class I, III, and V

Cynthia Khan, Professional Geologist, (785) 296-5554
Fax:  (785) 296-5509
Mailing Address:  KDHE - Geology, 1000 SW Jackson Street, Suite 420, Topeka, KS 66612-1367

Links:

Upcoming Seminars, Expos, Conferences and Workshops

  • Thursday, September 6, 2012 - Details coming at later date (NEW 3/2012)