Groundwater/UIC Program

Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program

The Underground Injection Control (UIC) program is designed to ensure that fluids injected underground will not endanger drinking water sources. The Division of Water and Waste Management regulates Class 5 wells. These wells include agriculture drainage wells, improved sinkholes, industrial disposal wells,stormwater wells and septic systems that have the capacity to serve 20 or more people. The Office of Oil and Gas oversees permitting of Class II (Disposal/ Enhanced Recovery) and III (Solution Mining) wells. The following state codes address UIC regulations; 47CSR9, 47CSR13 and 47CSR55. The Division of Mining and Reclamation oversees all mining UIC permits.

For applications and support documents, please see the non-mining UIC permits page.

Contact Us

For additional information regarding UIC permits please contact:

Michelle Finney, Environmental Resources Specialist 3
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water and Waste Management
601 57th St. SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 926-0499 x43796
Email: Michelle.L.Finney@wv.gov

Albert Barbery, Environmental Resources Program Manager 2
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water and Waste Management
601 57th St. SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 926-0499 x43769
Email: Albert.Barbery@wv.gov

Groundwater Remediation Program

The Groundwater Program's Remediation Program is directly involved with the remediation of sites containing contaminated groundwater and soil. As of January 2006, these sites total nearly 200, and include rail yards, factories, refineries, fuel bulk terminals, above-ground fuel tanks, and spills; contaminants range from gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil, and chlorinated solvents, to materials such as cow manure. Often, the Groundwater Program is the sole DEP office in charge of site; however, the Program frequently works in conjunction with other DEP offices, such as Environmental Enforcement or the Permitting Section. Sometimes, the Program only provides advice to another DEP office or Federal agency. In general, the Groundwater Program's remedial sites do not fit under the authority of any other DEP agency and the Program is the last recourse for remediation within the DEP system.

Authority for the Program's remedial work is 47CSR12, “Requirements Regarding Groundwater Standards.” Although this authority applies to groundwater, the Program often works to remediate or remove contaminated soils, as the ground water contamination (or the potential for groundwater contamination) cannot be completely abated without such soil work.

Contact Us

For additional information regarding groundwater remediation, please contact:

Albert Barbery, Environmental Resources Program Manager 2
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water and Waste Management
Phone: (304) 926-0499 x43769
Email: Albert.Barbery@wv.gov

William Lacek, Geologist 3
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water and Waste Management
601 57th St. SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 926-0499 x43770
Email: William.Lacek@wv.gov

Groundwater Protection Plans

Groundwater Protection Plans (GPPs) are required for all facilities having the potential to impact groundwater. They are “preventive maintenance” documents that cover all processes and materials at a facility that “may reasonably be expected” to have an effect on groundwater quality. The facility must make an inventory of all potentially contaminating processes and materials, and have structures and practices in place to prevent groundwater contamination from these processes and materials. Groundwater protection practices include, at a minimum, quarterly inspections and maintenance by facility personnel and usually include spill cleanup procedures. Regulations for how to prepare and implement a GPP are found in 47CSR58.

Contact Us

For additional information regarding GPP's, please contact:

Albert Barbery, Environmental Resources Program Manager 2
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water and Waste Management
601 57th St. SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 926-0499 x43769
Email: Albert.Barbery@wv.gov

William Lacek, Geologist 3
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water and Waste Management
601 57th St. SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 926-0499 x43770
Email: William.Lacek@wv.gov

Groundwater Variances

Variances may be granted by the Legislature to allow exceedance of groundwater quality standards for a single source or class of sources, which, by their nature, cannot be conducted in compliance with the requirements of W. Va. Code 22-12-5, "Groundwater Protection Act". The benefits of granting the variance must outweigh the benefit of complying with existing groundwater quality standards and the applicant must demonstrate that there is no technologically feasible alternative. The request for a variance must also show that the variance is more in the public interest than is adherence to existing groundwater quality standards. The regulations for groundwater variances may be found in 47CSR57.

Contact Us

For additional information regarding groundwater variances, please contact:

Albert Barbery, Environmental Resources Program Manager 2
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water and Waste Management
601 57th St. SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 926-0499 x43769
Email: Albert.Barbery@wv.gov

Charles Gentry, Jr., Environmental Resources Specialist 3
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water and Waste Management
601 57th St. SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 951-0932
Email: Charles.L.Gentry@wv.gov

Septic Tank Registration

Septic Tank Registration is required by any person who installs a septic tank. The owner of the septic system is required to pay a $30.00 registration fee which is paid to and collected by the County Health Department where the tank is installed. The regulations for septic tank seals may be found in 47CSR55.

Monitoring Well Drillers Program

As of March 1, 1997, all monitoring well drillers are required to be certified to operate in West Virginia (47CSR59). A monitoring well is any cased excavation or opening into the ground made by digging, boring, drilling, driving, jetting, or other methods for the purpose of determining the physical, chemical, biological, or radiological properties of groundwater. This definition includes piezometers and observation wells which are to be installed for purposes other than those listed above, but does not include wells whose primary purpose is to provide a supply of potable water. A monitoring well driller is the individual operating the drilling rig when operating, constructing, altering, or abandoning a monitoring well.

To become a certified monitoring well driller, an individual must meet experience requirements and pass a written exam. The examination is free; however, individuals are charged an annual $200 recertification fee. An online monitoring well certification exam is now available to the public. After the required proof of experience is received and verified, the requisite login credentials for exam access will be granted. The exam format is untimed and open book. The test result will be made available to the test taker immediately upon completion. The final providing of certification credentials will then take place administratively.

Underground Storage Tank (UST) installers may apply the monitoring well drillers' training and certification session toward continuing education requirements. The training has been approved for 8 hours each for UST Class A and Class C.

Monitoring Well Construction and Monitoring Well Abandon Forms

Monitoring Well Construction and Monitoring Well Abandon forms are available in packs of 25 triplicate forms at a cost of $50 per pack. These may be ordered by sending a check or money order to:

WV DEP
Attn: Judy Lupson, Groundwater Program
601 57th Street SE
Charleston, WV 25304

You may also call our Account Section at (304) 926-0499 Ext. 41195 to pay by Visa/Mastercard. Please indicate payment is for purchasing Monitoring Well Abandonment or Construction forms.

Contact Us

For additional information regarding the monitoring well drillers program, please contact:

Judy Lupson, Environmental Resources Associate
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water and Waste Management
601 57th St. SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 926-0499 x43807
Email: Judy.K.Lupson@wv.gov

Charles Gentry, Jr., Environmental Resources Specialist 3
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water and Waste Management
601 57th St. SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 951-0932
Email: Charles.L.Gentry@wv.gov

Resources

• Monitoring Well Driller List

Monitoring Well Construction/Abandonment

The regulations for the certification of monitoring well drillers and monitoring well installations and alterations are found at 47CSR59. Title 47 Series 60 established the minimum acceptable documentation and standards for the design, installation, construction and abandonment of monitoring wells and for the abandonment of all boreholes.

This area is the starting point for filling out an online Monitoring Well Construction or Abandonment document. If you are interested in completing your documentation online, please follow the procedures below. Only those individuals who are already licensed well drillers may participate in this program.

• If you have never registered for a login and password, do so now by requesting a user login.
• Once your information has been verified, you will be issues a login to the system.
• Once your login has been assigned, you will be notified of your User ID and Password.
• You will then have access to complete your monitoring well construction and abandonment documentation online.

If you already have your User ID and Password, then please proceed to the Monitoring Well Construction page to begin the program.

Contact Us

For additional information regarding monitoring well construction and/or abandonment, please contact:

Bassam Makar, Environmental Resources Specialist 2
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water and Waste Management
601 57th St. SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 926-0499 x43851
Email: Bassam.Y.Makar@wv.gov

Charles Gentry, Jr., Environmental Resources Specialist 3
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Water and Waste Management
601 57th St. SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 951-0932
Email: Charles.L.Gentry@wv.gov