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News Spring Training Training sessions for stream monitors and well hunters will begin in the spring. |
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Chairman:
John Kolojejchick
Treasurer:
David Irwin
Secretary:
Claudette BedardLinks Section
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EASI |
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DRAKE WELL MUSEUM |
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OIL CREEK STATE PARK |
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OIL 150 |
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VENANGO CONSERVATION DISTRICT |
Orphaned Wells
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Orphan Wells Project - DEP estimates that more than 325,000 wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania since 1859. Some experts feel this is a conservative estimate. DEP has records on just over 140,500 of those wells. Most of the wells are located in the northwestern part of the state (The Oil Patch). Over 80 percent are located in the shallow oil fields of McKean, Warren, Venango and Forest counties.
Abandoned Wells Photo Album
Well Hunter and Well Plugging Photo Album
The Problems:
Abandoned wells are the source of many environmental hazards. The well bore acts as a conduit and allows materials from normally separate layers to combine.
- Gas from oil layers can come to the surface through the well bore and collect in buildings with potentially explosive results.
- Gas can also contaminate drinking water wells.
- Surface runoff can use the well bore as a conduit to contaminate nearby water wells.
- Oil that reaches the surface from abandoned wells pollutes the soil and surface water.
- Salt brine from the oil bearing layers can use the well bore to reach and pollute fresh water layers or discharge at the surface into nearby streams.
- In coal mining areas, well bores allow gas to reach mines and acidic mine water to reach the surface.
- Abandoned wells that collapse inward are a physical threat to outdoor enthusiasts.
Wells become abandoned for a variety of reasons. Continued production is not econmical if the volume of oil or the price is too low. In some cases the owner/operator of the well dies and no family member is interested in continuing the work. The well just stops producing. Because a well is abandoned does not mean that there is no oil or gas left. Under ground pressure changes can cause abandoned wells to suddenly begin to spout oil. To prevent or correct these problems abandoned wells must be located and properly plugged
Locating unregistered abandoned wells is a time consuming process. It can also be expensive if DEP staff or contracted employees are involved. The Orphan Wells Project provides trained volunteers to locate abandoned wells at minimal cost to the State.
Well Plugging:
A properly plugged well requires that the gas, oil and coal strata be isolated from one another and from the fresh water strata. To accomplish this, the well bore must be cleaned. The bottom of the well is then filled with a non-porous material. In crucial portions of the well (such as gas and oil formations, coal seams and fresh water aquifers) a cement plug is needed to seal off the zones from each other. Aggregate material is placed between the plugs. The well plugging process is expensive.
History of Drilling Laws in PA:
The first commercial oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859 but it was not until 1956 that the State began requiring permits for new drilling in coal areas and not until 1963 that all new drilling required a permit. The Oil and Gas Act of 1984 required well operators to register all oil and gas wells. A 1992 amendment to the Oil and Gas Act allows DEP to designate an abandoned well, with no identifiable owner/operator, as an “orphan well”. Orphan well status, when approved, exempts the landowner / leaseholder from the obligation to plug such wells. In the period between 1859 and 1985, thousands of wells were abandoned without proper plugging and there are no records of their exact location.
The Orphan Wells Project began as a pilot program to engages senior volunteers to locate abandoned oil and gas wells on public land in Venango County. The project started in May 2003 with a grant from DEP to EASI to train volunteers to locate abandoned wells in Oil Creek State Park. Members of the Venango PA SEC use their talents to locate and mark suspected well locations and submit their data to DEP for evaluation. In 2005-06 the program was expanded under a grant from DEP to the Venango Conservation District to train additional well hunters and to expand the search area to other public land (game land and state forest) in Venango County.
All work is done on Public Land (State Parks, Game Land and State Forest) to prevent any conflict over land ownership.
To view some of the well types and other images from our work click on the Well Types and Well Photos 2 links in the left side panel.
To download a copy of our Fact Sheet click on the following link
download Orphan Wells Fact Sheet as pdf file
To download a copy of DEPs Fact Sheet click on the following link
download DEP Fact Sheet file
