Plugging an Orphaned Gas Well at Gauley River National Recreation Area

In October 2023, the National Park Service finished plugging the orphaned Mower Lumber #1 gas well at Gauley River National Recreation Area and restoring the land around it. The project, funded with $290,000 of FY22 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law money, was the third well the Park Service plugged with that money.

The Mower Lumber #1 gas well. NPS / Bryan Wender

The problem

The well had been left unplugged, with derelict equipment on the surface, at a remote site that was hard to reach. Its wellhead was deteriorating, raising the risk of spills and releases of hydrocarbons if it was not properly reclaimed.

Wells must be plugged when drilling has stopped and nothing further has been done for 60 days, or when they have produced no measurable quantities for 12 months in a row. Orphaned oil and gas wells in the park can threaten people's safety and the environment through accidental releases of petroleum, harmful gases, or contamination of surface water or groundwater. Methane leaking from unplugged wells is harmful to people and a serious contributor to climate change, so plugging wells in national parks keeps this powerful greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere while protecting visitors and the park's ecology.

The work

• The Park Service worked with the West Virginia Office of Oil and Gas to secure the necessary permits.
• The access road and well site had long been overgrown, so the plugging contractor cleared trees and shrubs to reach it.
• A workover rig and plugging equipment were brought in, and the well was plugged in three days.
• The well site and access road were then reclaimed and reseeded.

The Park Service will keep monitoring the site as it returns to its natural state.

Sources

• National Park Service, "Project Profile: Plug Orphaned Wells in Gauley River National Recreation Area": https://www.nps.gov/articles/bil-ecrp-projectprofile-neri-orphanedwells.htm