The following describes the requirements for closing your Class V injection well.

(a) Closure.

(1) Prior to closing a Class V large-capacity cesspool or motor vehicle waste disposal well, you must plug or otherwise close the well in a manner that complies with the prohibition of fluid movement standard in §144.12 and summarized in §144.82(a). If the UIC Program Director in your State or EPA Region has any additional or more specific closure standards, you have to meet those standards too. You also must dispose or otherwise manage any soil, gravel, sludge, liquids, or other materials removed from or adjacent to your well in accordance with all applicable Federal, State, and local regulations and requirements, as in §144.82(b).

(2) Closure does not mean that you need to cease operations at your facility, only that you need to close your well. A number of alternatives are available for disposing of waste fluids. Examples of alternatives that may be available to motor vehicle stations include: recycling and reusing wastewater as much as possible; collecting and recycling petroleum-based fluids, coolants, and battery acids drained from vehicles; washing parts in a self-contained, recirculating solvent sink, with spent solvents being recovered and replaced by the supplier; using absorbents to clean up minor leaks and spills, and placing the used materials in approved waste containers and disposing of them properly; using a wet vacuum or mop to pick up accumulated rain or snow melt, and if allowed, connecting floor drains to a municipal sewer system or holding tank, and if allowed, disposing of the holding tank contents through a publicly owned treatment works. You should check with the publicly owned treatment works you might use to see if they would accept your wastes. Alternatives that may be available to owners and operators of a large-capacity cesspool include: conversion to a septic system; connection to sewer; and installation of an on-site treatment unit.

(b) Conversions. In limited cases, the UIC Director may authorize the conversion (reclassification) of a motor vehicle waste disposal well to another type of Class V well. Motor vehicle wells may only be converted if: all motor vehicle fluids are segregated by physical barriers and are not allowed to enter the well; and, injection of motor vehicle waste is unlikely based on a facility's compliance history and records showing proper waste disposal. The use of a semi-permanent plug as the means to segregate waste is not sufficient to convert a motor vehicle waste disposal well to another type of Class V well.

[64 FR 68566, Dec. 7, 1999; 65 FR 5024, Feb. 2, 2000]