v>EPA United States Environmental Protectior Agency How to Comment You may comment on the proposed draft permits in writing. Please refer to draft permit numbers: MI-091 -11-0001 (Well# 1) MI-091-11-0002 (Well #2) Mail or email your comments to: Jeffrey Wawczak U.S. EPA, Water Division UIC Branch (WU-16J) 77 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604-3590 Email: Wawczakjeffrcy'c/,epa.gov Phone: 312-353-7316 Comment Period EPA will accept written comments until Wednesday, Aug. 23 (midnight postmark). Information Repository You may see the draft permits at: Adrian Public Library 143 E. Maumee St. Adrian, Michigan Or at http://go.usa.gov/3JwFP. Administrative Record You may see the full administrative record, including all data submitted by Great Lakes Chemical Coloration at the EPA's Chicago regional office (address above), weekdays from 9am to 4pm. For an appointment to see the files, contact Jeffrey Wawczak (see above). Right to Appeal You have the right to appeal any final permit decision if you mate an official comment during the comment period or participate in a public hearing. A public hearing is not planned at this time. The first appeal must be made to the Environmental Appeals Board. The final decision can be appealed in federal court only after all agency review procedures have been exhausted. To learn more about EPA's Underground Injection Control program, or to join our mailing list visit http://go.usa.gov/3JwFP EPA Seeks Comments on Draft Injection Well Permits Great Lakes Chemical Corporation Lenawee County, Michigan July 2016 U. S. Environmental Protection Agency tentatively approved a request from Great Lakes Chemical Corporation for re-issuance of two permits to operate existing wells for nonhazardous liquid waste. Before EPA gives final approval to the draft permits, the Agency will review public comments (see left-hand box on how to comment) and maybe hold a hearing if enough interest exists. Currently, the facility that used these injection wells is closed. However, permits are still required and continuous monitoring of the wells is mandatory. The wells are located near East Michigan and Gulf Streets in Adrian, Mich. Federal law requires all Class I wells be built in a way that protects drinking water supplies.1 That means waste must be injected into a rock formation beneath the lowermost formation containing an underground drinking water source. All Class I wells shall be cased and cemented to prevent the movement of fluids into or between underground sources of drinking water. Text continued on back ... 'Injection wells must meet the regulatory criteria of 40 Code of Federal Regulations, or C.F.R., sections 124, 144, 146, and 147; and the Safe Drinking Water Act, or SDWA. To view these regulations and laws, see https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/regulations. Map shows location of the two existing injection wells and the area of reveiw in central Lenawee County, Mich. Legend Area of " " ¦ Review 2-Mile Radius ------- Public comments and requests for a hearing Send comments and requests for a hearing to EPA's Jeffrey Wawczak (wawczak.i effev@epa. gov) during the public comment period (see front-page box). The dates of the public comment period are also published in the The Daily Telegram newspaper of Adrian, Michigan. The public comment period includes 30 days for comments as required by law, plus an additional three days for any delay caused by mailing. Requests for a hearing must be in writing and must identify issues to be raised. EPA will hold a hearing if Agency officials determine there is significant public interest in the draft permit decisions. If a hearing is scheduled, EPA will publish a notice of the hearing at least 30 days in advance. EPA officials will consider all comments received during the comment period and the hearing if held and then issue a final decision along with a document that lists EPA responses to significant comments. Permit requirements Federal regulations for underground injection wells list standards for construction, geology, location (siting), operating conditions and record keeping. Again, the goal of the regulations and laws is to protect supplies of underground drinking water from contamination caused by injection wells. EPA's preliminary review of the permit applications for these two wells concluded they would have no significant environmental impact. Below is an explanation of the some of the factors involved in permitting injection wells: Underground Source of Drinking Water (USDW): An USDW is any aquifer or portion of an aquifer that contains less than 10,000 milligrams per liter of total dissolved solids and which can be used as a source of drinking water. An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing rock or sand from which water can be extracted by a well. In Lenawee County, the location of the existing wells, the base of the lowermost USDW sits at a depth of 924 feet. This water-bearing formation is the Traverse Limestone. Site geology: The injection zone for the proposed wells is the Franconia, Dresbach, Eau Claire, and Mt. Simon Formations from roughly 3,880 feet to 4,800 feet deep. The injection zone for well #2 also includes the Pre- Cambrian Basement Complex, which is slightly deeper. This is considerably below the lowest point of the underground drinking water source. The immediate overlying confining zone of the waste liquid would be the Trempealeau Formation, which is composed of dolomite and shale. Adequate confining layers exist between the Franconia formation and the base of the lowermost underground source of drinking water. Area of review (AOR): The AOR is the area within a two-mile radius of each injection well. EPA experts analyzed the AOR to identify wells that might allow fluid to move out of the injection zone. In the AOR for the two existing wells, there are no producing wells, 2 injection, 0 temporarily abandoned, and 4 plugged and abandoned wells that penetrate the confining zone. These wells meet construction standards and will not allow fluid to move out of the injection zone for the proposed permits. Maximum injection pressure: EPA staff set an injection pressure limit that will prevent the injection formation from fracturing. Since there will be no injection, the proposed maximum injection pressure for these wells is limited to 0 pounds per square inch gauge for each well. Financial assurance: Great Lakes Chemical Corporation has demonstrated adequate financial resources to close, plug and abandon these underground injection wells. They have set up an irrevocable standby letter of credit. 2 ------- |