Glen Canyon's orphaned oil wells: 33 found, none leaking

A pump jack frame at an abandoned well site in Glen Canyon. NPS / Taryn Preston.

Old oil and gas wells abandoned without being properly sealed can leak oil, release harmful gases and contaminate water, and the methane they vent is both dangerous and a potent greenhouse gas. In 2022, with $100,000 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the National Park Service set out to find and fix the orphaned wells in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It found more than it expected — and nothing leaking.

The plan

The project was to locate, inspect and assess thirteen well sites, and where needed plug them, abandon them properly and reclaim the ground — protecting visitors, surface and underground water, protected species and sensitive land.

What happened

The programme

The work was funded through the Energy Community Revitalization Program of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed on November 15, 2021, which pays to restore and protect land and water affected by past energy development — including plugging orphaned wells on federal land.

Sources

Written from "Project Profile: Plug Orphaned Wells in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area", National Park Service, a work of the United States government in the public domain.