Florida
Underground injection wells
Florida underground injection wells
The Aquifer Protection Program of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) implements the federal Underground Injection Control program in Florida. The construction, operation, permitting and closure of injection wells are administered under Chapter 62-528, F.A.C. DEP says there are six classes of injection wells in Florida.
In a Phase I ESA
ASTM E1527-21 does not name injection well lists among its standard record sources. An injection well at or near a property still says something about how waste or fluids were handled there, and the class tells you what and where to look.
| Class | What DEP says it is | In Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Class I | Wells used to inject hazardous waste, nonhazardous waste or municipal waste below the lowermost underground source of drinking water | More than 230 active wells. New hazardous waste wells were banned in 1983. Permitted through DEP's Tallahassee office. |
| Class II | Wells used to inject fluids associated with the production of oil and natural gas, or fluids used to enhance hydrocarbon recovery | Regulated by DEP's Oil and Gas Program |
| Class III | Wells that inject fluids for extraction of minerals | None |
| Class IV | Wells or septic systems used to dispose of hazardous or radioactive wastes into or above an underground source of drinking water | Banned |
| Class V | Wells not included in the other classes, used for the storage or disposal of fluids into or below an underground source of drinking water | More than 13,000 wells |
| Class VI | Wells used to inject carbon dioxide captured from industrial processes for storage | Regulated by EPA. None in Florida. |
Three points follow.
- Class V is broad. DEP's common types include air conditioning return flow wells, swimming pool drainage wells, stormwater drainage wells, lake level control wells, domestic waste wells, and aquifer storage and recovery wells. Read what the well was used for.
- A remediation well points to a cleanup. DEP lists remediation wells among the non-major Class V wells. Finding one is a reason to look for the cleanup record it belongs to.
- Two offices permit Class V wells. Major Class V wells, which include all aquifer storage and recovery, aquifer recharge, exploratory and reverse osmosis wells, are permitted through the Tallahassee office. Non-major Class V wells, which include closed loop heat pump and air conditioning return flow wells, swimming pool drainage wells, stormwater wells and remediation wells, are permitted through the district offices. Ask the office that permitted the well.
DEP says most Class I injection facilities in Florida dispose of non-hazardous, secondary-treated effluent from domestic wastewater treatment plants, and that all Class I wells are tested at least every five years to determine that the well structure has integrity. Facilities that report injection and monitor well characteristics submit monthly operation reports to the Tallahassee office and the district office.
Where to look a site up
- DEP's UIC Wells Classification page links a map of Class I and Class V injection wells on Map Direct.
- The Aquifer Protection Program's Tallahassee office is at 850-245-8645.
- For Class II wells, ask DEP's Oil and Gas Program. The pages read do not say where that program's well records are searched.
Getting the file
The program's page links OCULUS, DEP's electronic document management system. Documents there are filed under a DEP program and facility, so have the facility or site name or the facility identification number. The paper records route and the fees are on the Public records and OCULUS page.
Sources
Florida Department of Environmental Protection pages, read October 6, 2026:
- Aquifer Protection Program - UIC, no modified date shown.
- UIC Wells Classification, last modified May 27, 2026.
- Public Records, last modified October 2, 2026.