Aquifer Exemptions Map
Aquifer Exemptions Map
Aquifer Exemptions
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About Aquifer Exemptions An aquifer is an underground body of rock that contains and can transmit groundwater. EPA exempts aquifers or portions of an aquifer if the aquifer does not currently serve as a source of drinking water and will not serve as a source of drinking water in the future, based on certain criteria. Aquifer exemptions allow these underground sources of water to be used by energy, mining, and other companies for oil or mineral extraction or disposal purposes in compliance with EPA’s requirements.
This website provides an interactive map that allows users to find locations of aquifers approved for exemption under the Safe Drinking Water Act Underground Injection Control Regulations. The website also provides geospatial files and Excel data with an accompanying user guide. The map will assist EPA and states in maintaining a consistent dataset of exemptions across the nation. The map shows the approved aquifer exemption boundaries, when available, in two dimensions, and information such as the depth of injection, local geology, and injected fluid characteristics. The Excel spreadsheet provides descriptive information from the geospatial file without geospatial data. Users may download the datasets and a user guide from the "Further Information" tab.
EPA updated the interactive map in July 2021 with new aquifer exemption locations approved between November 2019 and November 2020 and updated existing data to improve accuracy in location and descriptive information. The map was first published in January 2017.
New information in the 2021 update includes aquifer exemption records associated with California’s Class II primacy. These records reflect the information extracted from the documents, “California Oil and Gas Fields, Vol. I, and II (1973), and Volume III (1982). The exemption of the hydrocarbon-producing formations listed in those documents was approved at the time California was granted primacy in 1983. While the information extracted from these documents was quality checked for accuracy, some of the information has been updated since the documents were published; however, the information provided is considered to be sufficiently accurate to characterize the depth and other characteristics of the formations exempted at the time of primacy.
The map and accompanying data can be used by states, businesses, communities, and others to view exempted aquifers in the United States, see accompanying aquifer exemption data like depth of injection, local geology, and injected fluid characteristics, and can assist with Underground Injection Control (UIC) permit applications and approvals. The map consolidates information that was previously only available on paper and/or in databases at the Regional and state level, and will assist EPA and states in maintaining consistent exemption data across the nation.
Photo credit: Rock Layers of Mosaic Canyon, National Park Service Additional Information
Available Data The User Guide for Aquifer Exemptions Data describes how EPA developed the geospatial files shown in the Aquifer Exemptions Story Map and defines the data fields.
The Aquifer Exemptions attribute table provides the additional descriptions of aquifers such as county, tribe, lithology, and characteristics of the injected fluid. The attribute table may include simple location descriptions but will not provide mappable locations. The table is appropriate for use in spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel.
Photo credit: Alkali Creek Wilderness Study Area, Bureau of Land Management |
