Section 312IAC16-5-9. Well construction

   (a) This subsection governs the following placement of casing, tubing, and drill pipe in a well for oil and gas purposes:

(1) Casing, tubing, and drill pipe shall be run and set in conformance with the standards set forth by the American Petroleum Institute in "API Specifications" 5A, 5AC, and 5AX (May 31, 1985, editions).

(2) Casing centralizers may be required by the division director to effectuate the minimum clearances needed to ensure the proper cementing of casing.

(3) The slurry used in a casing string must contain a mixture of cement and water and may contain API-approved additives. The use of aggregate or sand in cement mixture is prohibited. The slurry must be placed using the pump and plug or displacement method and with a volume of cement sufficient to cause its return to the surface or to the bottom of a cemented intermediate or surface string of casing.

  (b) In addition to the requirements set forth in subsection (a), surface casing must be set as follows:

(1) Surface casing shall be run below the lowest underground source of drinking water. Surface casing shall be set in or through an impervious formation and shall be cemented with cement sufficient to circulate to the top of the hole. The owner or operator shall use more than one (1) string of casing where necessary to protect any underground source of drinking water.

(2) Instead of the surface casing requirements set forth in subdivision (1), an owner or operator may cement an intermediate or long string of casing with cement sufficient to circulate to the top of the hole.

(3) In addition to the requirements set forth in subsection (a), if intermediate casing is used, the intermediate casing must be set in an impervious stratum.

  (c) In addition to the requirements set forth in subsection (a), production casing must be set as follows:

(1) Except as provided under section 20 of this rule, a well that an owner or operator does not abandon after completion of the drilling operations must be immediately equipped with production casing set at the bottom of the hole or at the top of the last stratum drilled.

(2) If a well is plugged to a point higher than the last stratum drilled, production casing shall be set at the plug to prevent the migration of oil, gas, or water from one (1) stratum to another.

  (d) The division director may authorize an alternate well construction method if the owner or operator demonstrates the alternate well construction method:

(1) will not cause the pollution of, endanger, or threaten any underground source of drinking water;

(2) will not damage a source of oil or gas; and

(3) is designed to confine injected fluids to the approved interval or intervals.

(Natural Resources Commission; 312 IAC 16-5-9; filed Feb 23, 1998, 11:30 a.m.: 21 IR 2341; filed Oct 1, 1999, 1:12 p.m.: 23 IR 294; readopted filed Nov 17, 2004, 11:00 a.m.: 28 IR 1315; readopted filed Mar 25, 2010, 2:57 p.m.: 20100421-IR-312100033RFA; readopted filed Sep 30, 2015, 12:13 p.m.: 20151028-IR-312150224RFA)