Underground Injection Control in EPA Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY)

Due to the current situation surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19), EPA R8 UIC staff are now working remotely. We are asking everyone to please use email to send all communications and documents until further notice.

EPA R8 UIC Permitting, Compliance and Financial Responsibility contacts may be found at the following link. 

EPA Region 8 serves Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and 27 tribal nations.

• Announcements and Public Notice of Proposed Actions
• Regional Guidance Documents
• Resources for Owners and Operators
• Class V Program Documents
• Primary Enforcement Authority
• Tribal Programs
• Contact Information

Announcements and Public Notice of Proposed Actions

EPA Region 8 solicits public comment on issuance of permit-related actions under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act and UIC Program regulations for a minimum of 30 calendar days on this website and publishes a courtesy announcement in one or more local newspapers.

All comments received by the end of the comment period will be considered in the formulation of any final decision. Due to office closures related to the COVID-19 outbreak, at this time please do not submit comments via regular mail. Notification and any details of a public comment period extension will be provided at the web links below and will not be published in local newspapers. Interested parties on our email list will be notified of any extension of the public comment period by email.

If you wish to be added to our email list, please notify the EPA staff listed for the proposed action. After the comment period has closed, the Director intends to issue a Final UIC Permit, Permit Modification and/or Aquifer Exemption decision. EPA will hold a public hearing if the response to a specific action indicates significant public interest, or if requested.

For additional information on a specific action, please contact the EPA staff listed for that proposed action.

• EPA Dewey-Burdock Class III and Class V Injection Well Final Area Permits

• UIC permit applications for injection wells on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation

• Public Notice: Complaint and Notice of Opportunity for Hearing Regarding XTO Energy Inc. for Failure to Comply with Underground Injection Control Regulations

Public Notices at U.S. EPA

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Regional Guidance Documents

EPA Region 8 directly implements the Underground Injection Control Program under the SDWA in Indian country and the UIC programs for non-oil and gas related activities in Colorado, Montana, and South Dakota. These guidance assist the regulated community - which consists of hundreds of drinking waters systems and injection well operators, many of which are small and in rural areas – in complying with program requirements.

• Guidance No. 34: Cement Bond Logging Techniques and Interpretation
• Guidance No. 36: Completing, Operating, Monitoring, and Testing Wells that have Tubing Cemented in Place.
• Guidance No. 37: Demonstrating Part II Mechanical Integrity for a Class II Injection Well Permit
• Guidance No. 39: Pressure Testing Wells for Part I (Internal) Mechanical Integrity
• Guidance No. 40: Plugging and Abandonment Requirements for Class II Injection Wells
• Temperature Logging Guidelines
• Radioactive Tracer Survey Guidelines
• Step Rate Testing Guidelines

Resources for Owners and Operators

• 7520 reporting forms for owners or operators
• Class II Permit Application Checklist & Spreadsheet
• Mechanical Integrity Test (MIT) Form
• UIC Inspector Training 2018
• UIC Inspector Training 2019

• Permit Applicant:

  The Class II Permit Application Completeness Review Checklist is intended to assist EPA staff’s review of the permit application during the Administrative Review process. This checklist can also serve as a useful guide as you prepare your Class II permit application and can be used for other well class applications.

  Attachment K lists additional federal laws that EPA must comply with before a new permit can be issued. The National Historic Preservation Act and Endangered Species Act requirements will apply to most permits issued by EPA Region 8. If the applicant is willing and able to initiate and complete the cultural resource and endangered or threatened species surveys, inclusion of the survey and/or consultant’s reports with the permit application can significantly expedite the permitting process. If previous, recent surveys have already been conducted, the results of those surveys are acceptable to include with the application.

  In addition to the permit application, Region 8 also requests that the applicant complete the attached spreadsheet to assist the EPA in technical review of the permit application.

• Transferring Operational Control of Class II UIC Injection Wells (pdf) (134.29 KB)

Class V Program Documents

• EPA Region 8 UIC Class V Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Q & A Document

• Fact Sheets for Class V Well Types

• Aquifer Recharge and Aquifer Storage and Recovery Wells Information for Authorization

• Class V Inventory Form (for EPA Region 8 only) 

Primary Enforcement Authority

Tribal Programs

EPA Region 8 directly implements the UIC Program on 26 Indian Reservations. The Fort Peck Indian Reservation has been delegated primacy for Class II injection wells.

Fort Peck Program Manager: Martina Wilson (martinawilson@fortpecktribes.net) (406) 768-2329

Questions about underground injection wells on Indian Reservations other than Fort Peck should be directed to EPA Region 8.

Contact Information

Procedures for Submitting Required Reports and Notifications

After receiving authorization to inject, please submit all tests, reports, and notifications under your permit or rule-authorization to all four email addresses below:

• Nathan Wiser  (wiser.nathan@epa.gov )
• Gary Wang  (wang.gary@epa.gov)
• Don Breffle  (breffle.don@epa.gov)
• Larry Granato (granato.lawrence@epa.gov)

For shallow Class V well (e.g. septic systems, dry wells, etc.)

• Dennis Hotovec (hotovec.dennis@epa.gov)

UIC Permitting Staff

Section Supervisor

Douglas Minter (minter.douglas@epa.gov), 303-312-6079

UIC Enforcement Staff

Section Chief

Tiffany Cantor (cantor.tiffany@epa.gov), 303-312-6521
Communications related to testing, monitoring, or other items associated with compliance and enforcement, should follow the “Procedures for Submitting Required Test, Reports, and Notifications” above.

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