Environment DEC
From the August 2007 issue
Leaking Gas Well in Fredonia Successfully Plugged
The rusty drum that used to cover the abandoned well was replaced with a poured cement cap
A leaking natural gas well that was reported to the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) was successfully plugged in mid-July by a state-hired private contractor. The 400-foot well, was located in the yard of a local residence in the Village of Fredonia. It is believed to have been drilled about 75 years ago. The leak was discovered and reported to DEC by a pipeline company during a survey of its pipelines last October.
A Particulary Hazardous Situation
Unplugged or improperly plugged wells can pose a threat to the environment and public health and safety. In this case, the well was particularly hazardous, being located in a residential neighborhood less than 100 feet from a nearby home and only five feet from a natural gas transmission line. DEC contracted with Frey Well Drilling of Alden, New York at a cost of $9,800 to plug the well.
Well plugging funds for the project came from the DEC's Oil and Gas Account. The well had been abandoned for decades and an operator or owner could not be located. The Oil and Gas Account was created to address problem or abandoned oil and gas wells and is primarily funded by a $100 fee for every oil and gas well drilling permit issued by DEC.
Long Abandoned Wells Predate Strict Rules
After the plugged well was filled you would never know it was there
DEC has a strict environmental regulatory program for oil and gas wells drilled in New York. New York has had an active oil and gas industry since the 1880's and DEC estimates that more than 75,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled in the state. Most of these wells existed prior to the establishment of New York's regulatory program in 1963 that ensures the proper plugging of wells. DEC has identified about 4,800 unplugged, abandoned oil and gas wells in New York for which no known owner can be located. It estimates that at least as many more unplugged and abandoned wells exist that are yet to be discovered. Many of the older wells were abandoned by their owners when low production and/or low prices made it unprofitable for them to continue production.
More Information
For more information or to report an abandoned well, see Identifying Existing Wells on DEC's website, and contact DEC's Region 9 Allegany sub-office at 716-372-0645 or the Region 8 Avon office at 585-226-2466.
