PA DEP: 259 Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Plugged in 2009

Protects Public Health and Safety; Repairs Damage from Past Unregulated Drilling

HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger today reported the department last year managed 14 project sites in nine counties that successfully plugged 259 abandoned oil and gas wells.

That work, he said, is important not only to protect the environment, but the public's safety, as well.

"Abandoned wells create passageways for pollution to enter and contaminate drinking water. They also can allow natural gas to enter water supplies or build up in a home, which can create a dangerous enclosed space," Hanger said. "Modern regulations require that wells be cased properly during use and sealed once they are taken out of service, but unfortunately, there are thousands of wells that were simply abandoned before people understood the dangers."

The 259 wells addressed in 2009 are located in the western and north-central regions of the state, and were discovered by department inspectors and local citizens who work collaboratively to locate and map wells in the region.

Many of the wells were leaking oil, acid mine drainage or natural gas.

Abandoned wells can be found in many settings from residential backyards to remote hillsides. Well-plugging costs can vary depending on terrain and the age and depth of the well. In most cases, once DEP receives landowner permission, work crews will clear a site and clean or remove the old well. After any old well casings are removed and the well bore is clear, the well is filled with grout or cement and other fill materials.

Pennsylvania has the highest number of abandoned wells in the Appalachian region and is one of the top five states nationally. The department has documented more than 8,600 wells throughout the state that were abandoned prior to passage of modern oil and gas drilling regulations.

Since the first commercial oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859, DEP estimates as many as 350,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled in the state, with many of those wells having been abandoned without proper plugging.

Funding for Pennsylvania's Abandoned and Orphan Well Plugging Program comes from surcharges on well-drilling permits issued in Pennsylvania and from the Growing Greener program.

For more information, visit: www.depweb.state.pa.us.

Media contact: Tom Rathbun, 717-787-1323

Editor's Note: Below is a list, by county, of the 14 abandoned well plugging contracts awarded in 2009:

Allegheny County

Tarentum Borough: Stray Gas Migration Project -- $9,546. Contractor: Carlucci Construction Co. Inc., Cheswick, Allegheny County.

Erie County

Erie, Girard Borough, Millcreek and Northeast townships: 10 wells -- $93,564.81. Contractor: S&T Service and Supply Inc., Pleasantville, Venango County.

Fayette and Washington counties

Fallowfield Township and Belle Vernon: 3 wells -- $161,512.50. Contractor: Hydrocarbon Well Services Inc., Buckhannon, W.Va.

Forest County

Howe Township: 4 wells -- $37,892. Contractor: S&T Service and Supply Inc., Pleasantville, Venango County.

McKean County

Bradford Township: 23 wells -- $103,678. Contractor: Phillips and Dart Oil Field Services Inc., Gifford, McKean County.

Eldred Township: 39 wells -- $351,970. Contractor: James W. Day Contracting, Bolivar, N.Y.

Kane: 7 wells -- $49,220. Contractor: Phillips and Dart Oil Field Services Inc., Gifford, McKean County.

Keating and Otto townships: 46 wells -- $243,692. Contractor: James W. Day Contracting, Bolivar, N.Y.

Otto Township: 28 wells -- $228,216.40. Contractor: ALCO Well Services Inc., Bradford, McKean County.

Tioga County

Delmar Township: 1 well -- $117,000. Contractor: Hydrocarbon Well Services Inc., Buckhannon, W.Va.

Venango County

Cherry Tree and Oil Creek townships: 29 wells -- $256,504. Contractor: S&T Service and Supply Inc., Pleasantville, Venango County.

Cornplanter Township: 64 wells -- $554,776.26. Contractor: S&T Service and Supply Inc., Pleasantville, Venango County.

Warren County

Warren: 4 wells -- $19,760. Contractor: Hemlock Oil and Gas Co. Inc., Bradford, McKean County

Westmoreland County

Upper Burrell Township: 1 well -- $91,439. Contractor: Hydrocarbon Well Services Inc., Buckhannon, W.Va.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection