(a) The storage operator shall prepare, maintain, and comply with a testing and monitoring plan to verify that the storage facility is operating as permitted under this chapter and is not endangering underground sources of drinking water. The requirement to maintain and implement an approved plan is directly enforceable regardless of whether the requirement is a condition of the permit. The storage operator shall submit the testing and monitoring plan with the permit application, for commission approval, and shall include a description of how the storage operator will meet the requirements of this section, including accessing sites for all necessary monitoring and testing during the life of the facility. Testing and monitoring associated with a storage facility must, at a minimum, include

1. (1) an analysis of the carbon dioxide stream with sufficient frequency to yield data representative of its chemical and physical characteristics;
2. (2) the installation and use, except during well workovers as defined in 20 AAC 25.1230(d), of continuous recording devices to monitor injection pressure, rate, and volume; the pressure on the annulus between the tubing and the long string casing; and the annulus fluid volume added;

3. (3) the corrosion monitoring of the well materials for loss of mass, thickness, cracking, pitting, and other signs of corrosion, which must be performed on a quarterly basis to ensure that the well components meet the minimum standards for material strength and performance set forth in 20 AAC 25.1210(b) by

   1. (A) analyzing coupons of the well construction materials placed in contact with the carbon dioxide stream;
   2. (B) routing the carbon dioxide stream through a loop constructed with the material used in the well and inspecting the materials in the loop; or
   3. (C) using an alternative method approved by the commission;

4. (4) periodic monitoring of the ground water quality and geochemical changes above the confining zone that may be a result of carbon dioxide movement through the confining zone or additional identified zones including:

   1. (A) the location and number of monitoring wells based on specific information about the storage facility, including injection rate and volume, geology, the presence of artificial penetrations, and other factors; and
   2. (B) the monitoring frequency and spatial distribution of monitoring wells based on baseline geochemical data that has been collected under 20 AAC 25.1080 and on any modeling results in the area of review evaluation required by 20 AAC 25.1070;
5. (5) a demonstration of external mechanical integrity under 20 AAC 25.1240 at least once each year until the Class VI well is plugged; and, if required by the commission, a casing inspection log pursuant to the requirements of 20 AAC 25.1240. at a frequency established in the testing and monitoring plan;
6. (6) a pressure fall-off test at least once every five years unless more frequent testing is required by the commission based on site-specific information;

7. (7) testing and monitoring to track the extent of the carbon dioxide plume and the presence or absence of elevated pressure, e.g., the pressure front, by using

   1. (A) direct methods in the injection zone; and,
   2. (B) indirect methods, including seismic, electrical, gravity, or electromagnetic surveys or down-hole carbon dioxide detection tools, unless the commission determines, based on site-specific geology, that such methods are not appropriate;
8. (8) any additional monitoring, as required by the commission, necessary to support, upgrade, and improve computational modeling of the area of review evaluation required under 20 AAC 25.1070.

(b) The commission may require surface air monitoring or soil gas monitoring to detect movement of carbon dioxide that could endanger underground sources of drinking water and to ensure that carbon dioxide does not escape from the storage facility. For the purposes of this subsection,

1. (1) the design of Class VI well surface air or soil gas monitoring must be based on potential risks to underground sources of drinking water within the area of review;
2. (2) the monitoring frequency and spatial distribution of surface air monitoring or soil gas monitoring must be decided using baseline data, and the monitoring plan must describe how the proposed monitoring will yield useful information on the area of review delineation under 20 AAC 25.1070.

(d) A storage operator shall periodically review the testing and monitoring plan to incorporate monitoring data collected under this section, operational data collected under 20 AAC 25.1250, and the most recent area of review reevaluation performed under 20 AAC 25.1070. In no case shall the storage operator review the testing and monitoring plan less often than once every five years. Based on this review, the storage operator shall submit an amended testing and monitoring plan or demonstrate to the commission that no amendment to the testing and monitoring plan is needed. Any amendments to the testing and monitoring plan shall be approved by the commission, be incorporated into the permit, and subject to the permit modification requirements at 20 AAC 25.1410 or 20 AAC 25.1430. An amended plan or demonstrations shall be submitted to the commission:

1. (1) not more than one year after an area of review reevaluation;
2. (2) following any significant changes to the facility, such as the addition of monitoring wells or newly permitted injection wells within the area of review, on a schedule determined by the commission; or
3. (3) when required by the commission.

(e) Records of monitoring information under this section must include

1. (1) the date, exact place, and time of sampling or measurements;
2. (2) the individual who performed the sampling or measurements;
3. (3) the date the analyses were performed;
4. (4) the individual who performed the analyses;
5. (5) the analytical technique or method used; and
6. (6) the result of the analyses.