Facilities which inject industrial wastes, directly into a useable aquifers have been high priority cases.  In the past, WQD has requested that the owners of industrial class V facilities sample and analyze their waste approximately every 3 years.  As a result of those efforts, we know that the most common problem contaminants are Perchloroethene, Trichloroethene, Dichloroethane, Trichloroethane, various Chlorobenzenes, and Cadmium, Chromium and Lead. When highly contaminated effluent is discovered through the analyses, WQD usually issued a Letter of Violation - requesting that corrective actions be undertaken. In the event that the owner is uncooperative or if the waste is very highly concentrated WQD issued Notices of Violation and Administrative Orders.  This was always done if the results of the waste analyses fail the hazardous waste characteristics. Some letters of violation and all Administrative Orders have required that groundwater investigations be done to determine if the discharge of the waste has created a groundwater contamination problem.

As a result of these investigations, it is now clear that about 30% of high priority class V facilities cause some degree of groundwater contamination. While some of the largest groundwater contamination plumes in Wyoming were caused by high priority class V facilities, few of the required groundwater investigations have found contaminant plumes of any size. At this time, one company has performed a remediation project, and several other companies have monitored plumes. Approximately 30 companies have performed groundwater investigations for one reason or the other. Some of these investigations have been instigated by the companies without WQD request or enforcement.

There are many more acceptable alternatives to subsurface disposal of this type of waste: Many Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW's) will now take these wastes, although the analyses requirements are expensive. Commercial class I injection wells can also accept most of these wastes.

With the promulgation of Chapter 16, Wyoming Water Quality Rules and Regulations, injection of industrial wastes in existing Class V facilities without a permit (i.e. General, Individual, or Permit-by-Rule), and all new injections of industrial wastes in Class V facilities has been formally banned.  There are only three Class V facilities injecting industrial waste under permit, and all those facilities are complying with stringent annual monitoring requirements.  If you are reading this and you are injecting any form of industrial waste, you should check to see if you are covered by a permit.  If you are not, you must cease injection immediately and contact the department to register your facility.

There are currently known to exist 451 industrial waste disposal wells in Wyoming. Of these, 442 have been permanently abandoned as a result of our efforts over the last 15 years. 6 of the remaining wells are currently un-used because the buildings they are in are currently vacant. This leaves 3 industrial discharge wells in active use.

Other Class V wells. There are other types of class V wells many of which are quite beneficial. Under W.S. 35-11-301, all of these facilities require a permit under this program. The following table shows some of the many types of permits issued:

Each of the above types of injections requires that a permit be written specifically for that type of injection. Effort is required to tailor the application to the type of injection and the hazard caused by that type of injection.

Public notice is currently not required for injections which do not require an individual permit.  In the event that any injection is to be done near an existing public water supply well, this department can require an individual permit.  Any facility operator may be required to obtain an individual permit if the circumstances justify that requirement.  Most of these cases are required to report, either quarterly or annually a very short list of monitoring parameters.  Some of the more innocuous cases do not require monitoring and reporting except in the case of a spill.