Rule 1501:9-7-11 | Plugging and abandonment.
(A) Any solution mining project permit shall require that, prior to the plugging and abandonment of said well or wells, the permittee shall obtain a permit to plug and abandon in accordance with sections 1509.13 and 1509.15 of the Revised Code. A permit to plug and abandon shall ensure that plugging and abandonment of any well will not allow the movement of fluids either into an underground source of drinking water or from one underground source of drinking water to another. Any applicant for a permit to plug and abandon shall submit a plan for plugging and abandonment. Where the plan meets the requirements of this rule, the chief shall incorporate it into the permit as a condition. Where the chief's review of an application indicates that the applicant's plan is inadequate, the chief shall require the applicant to revise the plan, prescribe the conditions needed to meet the requirements of this rule, or deny the application. For purposes of this rule, temporary intermittent cessation of injection operations, not to exceed one hundred eighty days, is not abandonment. The chief may authorize cessation of operations in excess of one hundred eighty days for good cause shown.
(B) The permittee shall notify the chief at least thirty days before conversion or abandonment of any well.
(C) Prior to the abandoning of any solution mining well, the well shall be plugged with cement in a manner that will not allow the movement of fluids either into or between underground sources of drinking water. The chief may allow solution mining wells to use other plugging materials if he is satisfied that such materials will prevent movement of fluids into or between underground sources of drinking water.
(D) Prior to granting approval for the plugging and abandonment of a solution mining well the permittee shall provide the following information for the chief's consideration.
(1) The type and number of plugs to be used;
(2) The placement of each plug including the elevation of the top and bottom;
(3) The type, grade, and quantity of cement to be used;
(4) The method of placement of the plugs; and
(5) The procedure to be used to meet the requirements of paragraph (E) of this rule.
(E) Placement of the cement plugs shall be accomplished by one of the following:
(1) The balance method;
(2) The dump bailer method; or
(3) The two-plug method.
(F) Prior to the placement of any cement plug, any well to be abandoned shall be in a state of static equilibrium with the mud weight equalized top to bottom either by circulating the mud in the well at least once or by a comparable method prescribed by the chief.
(G) The chief shall prescribe aquifer cleanup and monitoring where he deems it necessary and feasible to ensure adequate protection of underground sources of drinking water.
Last updated February 27, 2023 at 9:35 AM
Supplemental Information
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