27-652. Supervision by commission
A. The commission shall so supervise the drilling, operation, maintenance and
abandonment of geothermal resource wells as to encourage the greatest ultimate economic
recovery of geothermal resources, to prevent damage to and waste from underground
geothermal reservoirs, to prevent damage to or contamination of any waters of the state
or any formation productive or potentially productive of fossil fuels or helium gas, and
to prevent the discharge of any fluids or gases or disposition of substances harmful to
the environment by reason of drilling, operation, maintenance or abandonment of
geothermal resource wells.
B. Any person engaged in the drilling of a well for geothermal resources underlying
a usable groundwater aquifer shall case the bore hole in a watertight manner from the
land surface to the geothermal producing zone or to a depth sufficient to prevent damage
or contamination of the aquifer from the escape of geothermal resources from the bore
hole. Materials and installation procedures for casing and sealing of the bore hole shall
be in accordance with specifications and procedures approved by the commission.
C. Disposal of water or brines obtained from a geothermal well whether by ponding
and evaporation, release to a watercourse or other means shall not damage or contaminate
the underlying groundwater aquifer or pollute any stream, river or body of surface
water. Construction and maintenance of all geothermal water and brine disposal systems
and of the devices required to monitor quantity and quality of the waters and brines
disposed of in each system shall be in accordance with specifications, procedures and
regulations approved by the commission.
D. Whenever the commission finds that it would be in the interest of maintenance of
the underground geothermal resource, prevention of subsidence of the land surface or
maintenance of the quality of surface and other ground waters, the commission may require
reinjection of the geothermal effluent or injection of other water supplies into the
producing zones.
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