Kinder Morgan CO2 Co. is requesting a renewal permit from the Environmental Protection Agency for an underground waste injection well southwest of Pleasant View.
The company injects produced water from its carbon dioxide wells into the Hovenweep Waste Disposal Well No. 1.
The well is nearly 8,583 feet deep and disposes the brine fluid into the Leadville and Ouray Formations. The injection well, located off County Road 12, has been in operation since 1987.
The renewal permit proposes to expand the authorized injection zone by 900 feet into the Elbert and Cambrian Formations “to ensure that injected fluids remain within the authorized injection zone.”
The EPA proposes issuance of a 10-year renewal permit for the Class 1 Non-Hazardous Waste Disposal Well and authorization of the expanded injection zone and continued operation of the well, according to EPA documents.
EPA regulates underground injection of fluids into wells so that injection does not endanger underground sources of drinking water. The requirements specify the approved minimum construction standards for well casing and cement, injection tubing and packer.
Monitoring includes pressure-actuated shut-off devices attached to the injection flow line that shuts off the injection pump when or before the maximum allowable injection pressure is reached.
If fluids go beyond the injection zone, Kinder Morgan shall notify EPA within 24 hours and submit a written report on the circumstances.
Injected fluids are limited to nonhazardous industrial fluids. Kinder Morgan is authorized to inject field and gas plant waste streams and other associated waste streams generated at the Permittee’s McElmo Dome and Doe Canyon facilities, according to the draft permit.
Industrial injection wells are known to cause earthquakes, because the fluids injected deep underground can lubricate fault lines and cause them to shift. As part of the proposed permit, Kinder Morgan is required to subscribe to the Earthquake Notification Service to monitor seismic activity within 50 miles from the area permit boundary.
For any seismic event reported within 2 miles of the permit boundary, the Permitee shall immediately cease injection and report to EPA within twenty-four (24) hours.
jmimiaga@gthe-journal.com