18 Facts About Injection wells

Deep Injection wells that are designed to inject hazardous wastes or carbon dioxide deep below the Earth's surface have multiple layers of protective casing and cement, whereas shallow Injection wells injecting non-hazardous fluids into or above drinking water sources are more simply constructed.

Injection wells are usually constructed of solid walled pipe to a deep elevation in order to prevent injectate from mixing with the surrounding environment.

Injection wells utilize the earth as a filter to treat the wastewater before it reaches the aquifer.

Critics of wastewater injection wells cite concerns about potential groundwater contamination.

Alternatives to injection wells include direct discharge of treated wastewater to receiving waters, conditioning of oil drilling and fracking produced water for reuse, utilization of treated water for irrigation or livestock watering, or processing of water at industrial wastewater treatment plants.

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In 2020 the Court ruled in County of Maui v Hawaii Wildlife Fund that injection wells may be the "functional equivalent of a direct discharge" under the Clean Water Act, and instructed the EPA to work with the courts to establish regulations when these types of wells should require permits.

Yet another use for injection wells is in environmental remediation, for cleanup of either soil or groundwater contamination.

Injection wells can insert clean water into an aquifer, thereby changing the direction and speed of groundwater flow, perhaps towards extraction wells downgradient, which could then more speedily and efficiently remove the contaminated groundwater.

Injection wells can be used in cleanup of soil contamination, for example by use of an ozonation system.

Injection wells are used to tap geothermal energy in hot, porous rock formations below the surface by injecting fluids into the ground, which is heated in the ground, then extracted from adjacent wells as fluid, steam, or a combination of both.

Class I wells are used for the injection of municipal and industrial wastes beneath underground sources of drinking water.

Class II wells are used for the injection of fluids associated with oil and gas production, including waste from hydraulic fracturing.

Class III wells are used for the injection of fluids used in mineral solution mining beneath underground sources of drinking water.

Class V wells are those used for all non-hazardous injections that are not covered by Classes I through IV.

Examples of Class V Injection wells include stormwater drainage Injection wells and septic system leach fields.

Finally, Class VI wells are used for the injection of carbon dioxide for sequestration, or long term storage.

Injection wells-induced earthquakes are thought to be caused by pressure changes due to excess fluid injected deep below the surface and are being dubbed “man-made” earthquakes.

Mary Fallin, the Oklahoma governor, declared a local emergency and shutdown orders for local disposal Injection wells were ordered by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.