Five subsurface disposal wells have been drilled and completed in Alabama. These are: Stauffer Chemical Co., Mobile County; Ciba-Geigy, Inc. (2), Washington County; U.S. Steel Corp., Jefferson County; and Reichhold Chevmicals, Inc., Tuscaloosa County. The Geological Survey of Alabama has been involved directly in all 4 projects. The Survey served as a consultant to the Alabama Water Improvement Commission (the state agency responsible for protection of surface and groundwater in Alabama) on the Stauffer and Ciba-Geigy projects, and as consultant and supervisor on the U.S. Steel Corp. and Reichhold Chemicals, Inc., projects. The Environmental Protection Agency provided some funding on the research aspects of the Reichhold Chemicals, Inc., disposal well. These projects were undertaken as a research effort to insure that the responsible state agencies are fully cognizant of all aspects of this method of waste disposal.

At present, in Alabama, subsurface disposal is permissible for some types of wastes, if the well is properly designed and completed in an appropriate geologic environment, if conventional methods of waste treatment have been evaluated and proved to be inadequate, and provided an adequate monitoring system has been installed.

The Stauffer and Ciba-Geigy wells are in the Coastal Plain geologic province and the U.S. Steel and Reichhold Chemicals, Inc., wells are in Paleozoic sediments of the Warrior basin, The geology, drilling, completion, and testing techniques are presented as a basis for decision making for approval or rejection of the proposed deep-well disposal projects by a regulatory agency.

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