Book--Deep Well Injection of Industrial Wastes, Government Controls and Legal Constraints



             UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
                         GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
                      RESTON, VIRGINIA  22092

                                               January 26, 1977

GROUND WATER BRANCH TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 77.03

Subject:  Book--Deep Well Injection of Industrial Wastes,
          Government Controls and Legal Constraints,
          by William R. Walker and William E. Cox,
          Virginia Water Resources Research Center

The objectives of the Water Resources Division's subsurface waste
storage program is to define hydrologic principles and techniques
relevant to the use and management of subsurface waste storage and
to prevent endangering usable water resources.  The program
consists of regional delineation and description of deep saline
aquifer systems that are potentially useful for waste storage,
assessment of the degradation of groundwater quality that has been
caused or may be caused by waste disposal or other activities,
determination of the field values of hydrodynamic dispersion of
waste in ground water, and other fundamental studies in geology,
hydrology, chemistry, and physics related to waste movement in
both shallow and deep aquifers.

The subject book concerns only deep-well injection and is the most
complete source of information on current policies and programs of
the State and Federal management agencies.  The management
agencies are the users of the hydrogeological concepts and
principles such as are developed by the WRD's subsurface waste
program.

The subject book is being distributed to each WRD District and to
selected Subdistrict offices for their libraries.  The book
provides excellent background information not only on existing
Federal and State policy and regulations of deep well injection,
but also on the intent and impact of the Safe Drinking Water Act
on future State regulatory programs.  Reading the book will not
make one an instant expert, but should help one prepare for
discussions with cooperators, industries, and consultants about
deep well injection.

Part I of the book discusses the philosophy, existing use, and the
advantages and disadvantages of well injection.  Part II discusses
impacts of PL 92-500 (Federal Water Pollution Control Act),
PL 93-523 (Safe Drinking Water Act), and the Proposed Rules for
Underground Injection Control.  It also summarizes State
Regulatory Programs for those states that developed them prior to
the Safe Drinking Water Act.  Part III discusses laws and judicial
decisions that bear upon the practice.  Part IV presents concepts
and guidelines on developing waste-management regulations for
deep-well injection.



                                (s) Leonard A. Wood
                                Coordinator, Subsurface
                                Waste Studies