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About Class I Deep Injection Wells
The Facts About Injection Wells
Class I Injection Wells are Part of A Federal Program
Injection wells are used to safely dispose of non-hazardous wastewater deep underground into confined rock formations that are isolated from drinking water sources. These wells must comply with strict federal and state regulations, from permitting and construction through operation and ongoing monitoring.
Environmentally Proven
Injection wells are an environmentally preferred, proven method for protecting groundwater. These wells are regulated under Florida's Aquifer Protection Program and are designed to prevent impacts to underground sources of drinking water.
Groundwater Protection Is Our Top Priority
According to FDEP, no Class I well in Florida has ever impacted the public water supply, including the 7 active Class I wells disposing of leachate. Protecting groundwater remains the primary objective of the program.
We Never Handle Hazardous Waste
Florida law prohibited new hazardous waste injection wells beginning in 1983. All new Class I wells statewide, including HOF's, are permitted to accept only non-hazardous, pre-treated leachate.
Decades of Proven Performance
There are approximately 236 active deep injection wells in the state. Florida's first leachate injection well began operating in 1988. For more than three decades, Class I injection wells have provided a safe, regulated, and reliable method for managing non-hazardous wastewater.
Continuous Monitoring Protects Communities
HOF operates a dedicated subsurface monitoring well, as required by FDEP, to monitor injection fluid movement at least 1,000 feet below the surface. Florida's requirements for additional monitoring exceed federal guidelines and provide an added layer of protection.
How Do Class I Injection Wells Work?
Class I deep injection wells are an environmentally preferred and proven method for safely disposing of non-hazardous, pre-treated wastewater deep underground, far below and fully isolated from drinking water sources. Our injection zone is 3,750 feet below the surface, or about the length of ten football fields.
These wells are built with multiple layers of protection:
- Steel casing and layers of cement, with redundant well casings (a well inside of another well)
- An injection zone required to stretch well below the lowest current or future source of drinking water
- Hundreds of feet of natural, impermeable rock layers and engineered piping that prevent spillage or upward movement
- Continuous monitoring systems and a dedicated subsurface monitoring well to ensure wastewater remains in the injection zone
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Florida injection well regulations exceed federal requirements. That makes Florida's wells among the most rigorously regulated and heavily monitored in the nation. Florida law requires:
- Geologic, hydrologic, and engineering reviews before a permit is issued
- Weekly construction reporting to FDEP
- Monthly operational reporting of flow rates, wastewater levels, and chemical parameters
- Mechanical integrity testing at least every five years
- Redundant well casings and continuous monitoring of pressure between well casings
- A strict prohibition on hazardous waste since 1983. Only pre-treated, non-hazardous wastewater may be accepted.
- A strict prohibition on any interchange of water between aquifers
- A separate, highly sensitive subsurface monitoring well designed to track drinking water quality and ensure there is no negative impact to our aquifer. The monitoring well is part of a failsafe system that will flag an injection well shutdown if there is any indication our multiple, redundant safeguards have been compromised.
