[Title 40 CFR 144.89]
[Code of Federal Regulations (annual edition) - July 1, 2009 Edition]
[Title 40 - PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT]
[Chapter I - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED)]
[Subchapter D - WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED)]
[Part 144 - UNDERGROUND INJECTION CONTROL PROGRAM]
[Subpart G - Requirements for Owners and Operators of Class V Injection]
[Sec. 144.89 - How do I close my Class V injection well?]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


40PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT222009-07-012009-07-01false144.89Sec. 144.89PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED)WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED)UNDERGROUND INJECTION CONTROL PROGRAMRequirements for Owners and Operators of Class V Injection
Sec. 144.89  How do I close my Class V injection well?

    The following describes the requirements for closing your Class V 
injection well.
    (a) Closure. (1) Prior to closing a Class V large-capacity cesspool 
or motor vehicle waste disposal well, you must plug or otherwise close 
the well in a manner that complies with the

[[Page 761]]

prohibition of fluid movement standard in Sec. 144.12 and summarized in 
Sec. 144.82(a). If the UIC Program Director in your State or EPA Region 
has any additional or more specific closure standards, you have to meet 
those standards too. You also must dispose or otherwise manage any soil, 
gravel, sludge, liquids, or other materials removed from or adjacent to 
your well in accordance with all applicable Federal, State, and local 
regulations and requirements, as in Sec. 144.82(b).
    (2) Closure does not mean that you need to cease operations at your 
facility, only that you need to close your well. A number of 
alternatives are available for disposing of waste fluids. Examples of 
alternatives that may be available to motor vehicle stations include: 
recycling and reusing wastewater as much as possible; collecting and 
recycling petroleum-based fluids, coolants, and battery acids drained 
from vehicles; washing parts in a self-contained, recirculating solvent 
sink, with spent solvents being recovered and replaced by the supplier; 
using absorbents to clean up minor leaks and spills, and placing the 
used materials in approved waste containers and disposing of them 
properly; using a wet vacuum or mop to pick up accumulated rain or snow 
melt, and if allowed, connecting floor drains to a municipal sewer 
system or holding tank, and if allowed, disposing of the holding tank 
contents through a publicly owned treatment works. You should check with 
the publicly owned treatment works you might use to see if they would 
accept your wastes. Alternatives that may be available to owners and 
operators of a large-capacity cesspool include: conversion to a septic 
system; connection to sewer; and installation of an on-site treatment 
unit.
    (b) Conversions. In limited cases, the UIC Director may authorize 
the conversion (reclassification) of a motor vehicle waste disposal well 
to another type of Class V well. Motor vehicle wells may only be 
converted if: all motor vehicle fluids are segregated by physical 
barriers and are not allowed to enter the well; and, injection of motor 
vehicle waste is unlikely based on a facility's compliance history and 
records showing proper waste disposal. The use of a semi-permanent plug 
as the means to segregate waste is not sufficient to convert a motor 
vehicle waste disposal well to another type of Class V well.

[64 FR 68566, Dec. 7, 1999; 65 FR 5024, Feb. 2, 2000]