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.