State-by-State: Underground Injection Wells
The data below is from annual state regulatory summaries for underground injection wells that were submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency between late 2007 and late 2010. In all, the reports reflect 220,000 inspections and give well violations and enforcement actions for more than 680,000 wells. The EPA data represents the only national picture of the U.S. injection program. | Related: The Trillion-Gallon Loophole: Lax Rules for Drillers that Inject Pollutants Into the Earth
Number class 2 wells, 2010
Hover over each category for more information.
Alabama
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
240
Class 3
3
Class 4
0
Class 5
386
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Alaska
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
29
Class 2
1,347
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
1,792
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: The EPA had not received injection reporting statistics from Alaska for 2010 by the time it provided materials through FOIA to ProPublica in late 2011. The EPA did not respond to a our questions on whether they had since received the reports, or whether the agency had followed up with the state.
Arizona
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
15
Class 4
0
Class 5
49,035
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Arkansas
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
4
Class 1
Other
9
Class 2
1,093
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
281
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
California
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
45
Class 2
29,505
Class 3
212
Class 4
0
Class 5
18,047
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: California's detailed 2009 injection well compliance report was not included in the Environmental Protection Agency's FOIA response.
Colorado
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
13
Class 2
874
Class 3
34
Class 4
0
Class 5
1,759
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Connecticut
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
710
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Delaware
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
1,563
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
District of Columbia
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
125
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: The Environmental Protection Agency did not include 2008 data for the District of Columbia in its FOIA response.
Florida
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
1
Class 1
Other
211
Class 2
58
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
55,072
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Georgia
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
10,459
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Hawaii
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
5,547
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Idaho
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
16,235
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Illinois
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
3
Class 1
Other
2
Class 2
7,843
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
16,644
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Indiana
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
4
Class 1
Other
24
Class 2
2,091
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
8,729
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Iowa
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
3
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
1,362
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: The Environmental Protection Agency did not include any of Iowa's reporting forms for its injection program in its FOIA response.
Kansas
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
5
Class 1
Other
48
Class 2
16,658
Class 3
145
Class 4
0
Class 5
6,067
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Kentucky
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
2
Class 2
3,403
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
14,175
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: The EPA is directly responsible for regulating Kentucky's disposal wells. The EPA's Region 4 office tells ProPublica that only half of the wells in its own inventory for Kentucky are actively used, and says it prioritizes its inspections for wells which have have a difficulty complying with the regulations in the past. The Environmental Protection Agency did not include 2008 data for Kentucky in its FOIA response.
Louisiana
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
15
Class 1
Other
22
Class 2
3,731
Class 3
89
Class 4
0
Class 5
213
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: Louisiana did not provide its injection program reports to the EPA in 2009, EPA records state. The EPA did not respond to questions about whether they have followed up with the state.
Maine
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
1,927
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Maryland
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
13,701
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Massachusetts
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
5,413
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Michigan
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
9
Class 1
Other
21
Class 2
1,460
Class 3
46
Class 4
0
Class 5
8,934
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Minnesota
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
2,744
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Mississippi
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
4
Class 1
Other
1
Class 2
1,110
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
7,546
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: The Annual reports submitted by Mississippi to the Environmental Protection Agency are incomplete. They note, for example, mechanical integrity failures for significant leaks, but list no corresponding overall failures for mechanical integrity or corresponding violations. The EPA did not respond to questions about Mississippi's data.
Missouri
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
282
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
3,851
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Montana
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
1,062
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
903
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Nebraska
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
3
Class 2
661
Class 3
3,913
Class 4
0
Class 5
675
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: The Environmental Protection Agency did not yet provide Nebraska's 2008 injection program data in its FOIA response.
Nevada
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
18
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
961
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
New Hampshire
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
7,623
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
New Jersey
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
968
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
New Mexico
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
5
Class 2
4,585
Class 3
10
Class 4
0
Class 5
1,414
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: New Mexico regulators tell ProPublica that they incorrectly filled out the EPA reporting forms to show total inspections, not unique wells inspected, meaning that their inspection figures contain some overlap. The error makes it appear as though New Mexico has inspected more wells than exist. In fact, the state says that it would likely have inspected every well in 2010, but that it cannot provide data on exactly how many wells it inspected.
New York
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
1
Class 2
532
Class 3
174
Class 4
0
Class 5
30,843
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
North Carolina
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
3
Class 5
26,658
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
North Dakota
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
4
Class 2
1,023
Class 3
1
Class 4
0
Class 5
571
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: While it appears that North Dakota inspected more wells than exist in 2010, the state tells ProPublica that the difference reflects a change in the total number of injection wells between the time that their reports were submitted to the EPA (based ona fiscal year ending Sept. 30), and the time the EPA calculated its total well inventory figures (based on the calendar year). North Dakota says that it inspected 100% of its class 2 wells in 2010.
Ohio
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
10
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
2,455
Class 3
54
Class 4
0
Class 5
22,461
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: Ohio's Department of Natural Resources tells ProPublica that only about 380 active disposal wells in the state and that the rest of the wells counted in the EPA inventory reflect "annular disposal" wells -- a different type of disposal well -- which are not currently in use. The state says that it inspects all of its active disposal well once ever 12 weeks, with periodic inspections for the others.
Oklahoma
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
6
Class 2
10,629
Class 3
2
Class 4
2
Class 5
1,928
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Oregon
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
9
Class 3
0
Class 4
7
Class 5
37,015
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: The Environmental Protection Agency did not include any of Oregon's reporting forms in its FOIA response.
Pennsylvania
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
1,861
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
14,353
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Rhode Island
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
1,470
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
South Carolina
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
10,739
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
South Dakota
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
87
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
271
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: 2010 reporting information for South Dakota's Class 2 injection well program was not included in FOIA response materials provided by the Environmental Protection Agency
Tennessee
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
18
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
1,735
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: The Environmental Protection Agency did not include 2008 injection program information for Tennessee. Reporting forms for 2009 and 2010 were not complete and reflected only a handful of inspections conducted.
Texas
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
58
Class 1
Other
50
Class 2
52,016
Class 3
6,075
Class 4
4
Class 5
32,594
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: Texas' Railroad Commission, the state oil and gas regulatory agency, did not break down which of its Class 2 wells are used for disposal and which are used to help produce oil and gas, as is required by the Environmental Protection Agency. Instead, the state combined all of its 52,016 class 2 wells into the single category of "enhanced production."
Utah
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
428
Class 3
16
Class 4
8
Class 5
5,346
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: TThe statistics show that Utah inspected more wells than existed in the state in 2010 according to the EPA's inventory. Utah's Division of Oil, Gas and Mining tells ProPublica that it counted inspections performed on wells on tribal lands in the state, even though those wells are not technically in the state's regulatory jurisdiction and were likely also inspected by the EPA. Utah also says that it may have mis-reported total inspections, as opposed to the total number of wells inspected, to the EPA. The state was unable to clarify exactly how many unique wells it inspected in 2010.
Vermont
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
1,823
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Virginia
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
11
Class 3
6
Class 4
0
Class 5
12,320
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Washington
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
1
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
34,649
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: The Environmental Protection Agency did not include any of Washington's reporting forms in its FOIA response
West Virginia
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
779
Class 3
21
Class 4
0
Class 5
4,015
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: The Environmental Protection Agency did not provide 2010 reporting information for West Virginia's injection program in its FOIA response.
Wisconsin
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
0
Class 2
0
Class 3
0
Class 4
0
Class 5
1,662
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Wyoming
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
0
Class 1
Other
41
Class 2
4,978
Class 3
10,552
Class 4
0
Class 5
1,961
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: The Environmental Protection Agency did not received 2008 or 2009 Class 2 Regulatory information from the State of Wyoming. The Agency did not clarify whether it had followed up with the state for the information.
All States
Number of Underground Injection Wells, 2010
Well Class Types
Class 1 HW: Handles the most dangerous liquid waste in the U.S., is the most stringently regulated and is among the deepest injection wells, often placing waste more than 1 to 2 miles underground.
Class 1 Other: Stringently regulated and receives waste from industries besides oil and gas, as well as some municipal waste. Its contents are generally less dangerous and are defined by law as "non-hazardous" compared to wells labeled as "HW."
Class 2: Includes wells where fluid is injected to "enhance" recovery of oil and gas and wells used exclusively for the disposal of oil and gas-related waste. Enhanced recovery wells make up roughly 80 percent of class 2 wells.
Class 3: Handles solution mining, where water or other fluid is injected underground to dissolve salt, for example, or to help mine uranium, and then harvested again as a liquid containing the resource in solution.
Class 4: Banned in 1984. Originally handled the hazardous wastes that were injected into shallow rock formations near to, or containing, drinking water aquifers. Some class 4 wells still exist as parts of government-run groundwater clean-up plans.
Class 5: The catch-all category for almost everything else that is injected underground. Viewed by the EPA as a substantial risk to water supplies.
Class 1
HW
113
Class 1
Other
537
Class 2
150,851
Class 3
21,368
Class 4
24
Class 5
507,275
Mechanical Integrity Violations
Mechanical Integrity Violation
Mechanical Integrity testing, or MIT, is the primary way of checking the condition of injection wells. All Class 1 and Class 2 deep injection wells are required to be tested regularly, often by pressurizing the well and waiting to see if any of the pressure escapes, indicating a crack in one of the well's layers. Regulators say most violations indicate a small problem that, caught early, prevents a larger failure in the future. But some failures noted in federal records do describe "significant"leaks and migration of waste.
Class 1
Class 2 Enhanced Recovery
Class 2 Salt Water Disposal
Cases of Water Contamination, 2008-2010
Water Contamination
In the reports each state submits to the EPA annually, they list the number of cases where an underground source of drinking water was believed to have been polluted as a result of leaking injection wells.
Cases of Over Pressurized Injection, 2008-2010
Over Pressurized Injection
When waste is injected at higher pressure than is allowed on an injection well permit, it can either break out of the well or fracture the rock underground, creating new pathways for that waste to migrate into, and pollute, water supplies. A violation means that the pressure caused waste to move outside of its intended zone and endanger drinking water.
Test Failures for Significant Leaks, 2008-2010
Test Failures for Significant Leaks
This means that a well failed a mechanical integrity test and "caused the movement of fluids outside of the authorized zone," because either its cement or steel structure, or the tubing that lines the inside of the well, had a crack.
Total Wells With Violations, 2008-2010
Total Wells With Violations
There are lots of rules, big and small, and this represents the total number of times an injection well operator was cited by regulators for breaking them. It includes major issues such as leaks and dumping, as well as minor issues, such as poor recordkeeping.
Note: These numbers may vary slightly from data kept by state agencies, in part because each state may define well types or active status differently. The EPA requires that state agencies submit this information to comply with federal injection law, but there were some inconsistencies in the data from state to state. A few states, for example, told the EPA the total number of inspections they conducted instead of the total number of wells they inspected. Some states left sections blank or provided less detail than they were asked to supply.