For the purposes of this chapter, unless the text otherwise requires, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

     (1) "Geothermal resources" means only that natural heat energy of the earth from which it is technologically practical to produce electricity commercially and the medium by which such heat energy is extracted from the earth, including liquids or gases, as well as any minerals contained in any natural or injected fluids, brines and associated gas, but excluding oil, hydrocarbon gas and other hydrocarbon substances.

     (2) "Waste", in addition to its ordinary meaning, shall mean "physical waste" as that term is generally understood and shall include:

     (a) The inefficient, excessive, or improper use of, or unnecessary dissipation of, reservoir energy; or the locating, spacing, drilling, equipping, operating or producing of any geothermal energy well in a manner which results, or tends to result, in reducing the quantity of geothermal energy to be recovered from any geothermal area in this state;

     (b) The inefficient above-ground transporting or storage of geothermal energy; or the locating, spacing, drilling, equipping, operating, or producing of any geothermal well in a manner causing, or tending to cause, unnecessary excessive surface loss or destruction of geothermal energy;

     (c) The escape into the open air, from a well of steam or hot water, in excess of what is reasonably necessary in the efficient development or production of a geothermal well.

     (3) "Geothermal area" means any land that is, or reasonably appears to be, underlain by geothermal resources.

     (4) "Energy transfer system" means the structures and enclosed fluids which facilitate the utilization of geothermal energy. The system includes the geothermal wells, cooling towers, reinjection wells, equipment directly involved in converting the heat energy associated with geothermal resources to mechanical or electrical energy or in transferring it to another fluid, the closed piping between such equipment, wells and towers and that portion of the earth which facilitates the transfer of a fluid from reinjection wells to geothermal wells: PROVIDED, That the system shall not include any geothermal resources which have escaped into or have been released into the nongeothermal ground or surface waters from either man-made containers or through leaks in the structure of the earth caused by or to which access was made possible by any drilling, redrilling, reworking or operating of a geothermal or reinjection well.

     (5) "Operator" means the person supervising or in control of the operation of a geothermal resource well, whether or not such person is the owner of the well.

     (6) "Owner" means the person who possesses the legal right to drill, convert or operate any well or other facility subject to the provisions of this chapter.

     (7) "Person" means any individual, corporation, company, association of individuals, joint venture, partnership, receiver, trustee, guardian, executor, administrator, personal representative, or public agency that is the subject of legal rights and duties.

     (8) "Pollution" means any damage or injury to ground or surface waters, soil or air resulting from the unauthorized loss, escape, or disposal of any substances at any well subject to the provisions of this chapter.

     (9) "Department" means the department of natural resources.

     (10) "Well" means any excavation made for the discovery or production of geothermal resources, or any special facility, converted producing facility, or reactivated or converted abandoned facility used for the reinjection of geothermal resources, or the residue thereof underground.

     (11) "Core holes" are holes drilled or excavations made expressly for the acquisition of geological or geophysical data for the purpose of finding and delineating a favorable geothermal area prior to the drilling of a well.

     (12) A "completed well" is a well that has been drilled to its total depth, has been adequately cased, and is ready to be either plugged and abandoned, shut-in, or put into production.

     (13) "Plug and abandon" means to place permanent plugs in the well in such a way and at such intervals as are necessary to prevent future leakage of fluid from the well to the surface or from one zone in the well to the other, and to remove all drilling and production equipment from the site, and to restore the surface of the site to its natural condition or contour or to such condition as may be prescribed by the department.

     (14) "Shut-in" means to adequately cap or seal a well to control the contained geothermal resources for an interim period.

[1974 ex.s. c 43 § 3. Formerly RCW 79.76.030.]