Abstract
Disposal of liquids into underground formations through injection wells was started in 1930 by the U. S. petroleum industry, which as a common practice, disposed of produced brine in this manner. Underground injection is the disposal of liquid waste material into isolated geologic strata, placing the wastes in portions of the earth's crust that are free from the usual effects of the hydrologic cycle. Enactment of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1974 ratified the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) underground injection policy position and required the Agency to promulgate minimum injection well requirements of state programs to prevent endangerment of underground sources of drinking water (USDWs). In 1984, the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) prohibited land disposal of hazardous waste, including underground injection, unless the EPA could determine that the disposal would not adversely affect human health and the environment. Since 1980, with the implementation of the underground injection control (UIC) program of the SDWA, no cases of USDW contamination have occurred, due to stringent siting, construction, operation, and testing requirements for Class I hazardous and nonhazardous wells.
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