Orphaned wells: BLM and its partners address centuries-old pollution

Orphaned wells: BLM and its partners address centuries-old pollution

Jan 16, 2025

Derek Strohl, a supervisory geologist with the Bureau of Land Management's Northeastern States District Office touches an orphaned well near the Shenango River Lake in Pennsylvania as Reilly Frable, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers natural resource specialist looks on. (BLM photo by Eric Dehm)

As visitors walk along the paths at Shenango River Lake Recreation Area in western Pennsylvania, they are enveloped by the thick green forest all around them. Yet, hidden in plain sight just a few steps off the trail lies a reminder of our human imprint on the past. A rusting wellhead sticks out of a pipe disappearing into the earth - a lingering relic of an abandoned well.

Pennsylvania, known as the birthplace of American independence, also holds the distinction of being the birth site of the nation's commercial oil and gas industry. Beginning in the 19th century, prospectors drilled deep into the earth in search of "black gold" and natural gas. When the wells dried up, they often moved on leaving their wells behind. Today, these antique orphaned wells dot the landscape, and some of them silently leaking oil and/or methane into the surrounding air, soil and water.

The founder of the modern oil industry, Edwin Drake (wearing top hat), stands in front of the first American oil well, drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania circa 1860.

"As drillers abandoned the wells, they fell into disrepair. Oil or gas was no longer moving into the marketplace. Now, methane gas leaks into the environment, seeping into the air and water," said Derek Strohl, supervisory geologist with the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Northeastern States District Office.

The extent of the orphaned well issue is not known. While more than 100,000 have been identified and located, it is estimated there may be more than three million nationwide, according to reports by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A hulking abandoned oil tank sits covered in rust, only a few hundred yards from the banks of Shenango River Lake in Pennsylvania. (BLM photo by Eric Dehm)

Decades after oil and gas wells were drilled, some of the lands they occupy came under federal ownership, leaving federal agencies to address the resulting legacy pollution. In Pennsylvania and parts of Appalachia, orphaned wells are located on lands managed by the USDA Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Meanwhile, the BLM is responsible for managing oil and gas resources beneath the surface. This overlapping management responsibility creates a complex situation that demands a collaborative approach to effectively address orphaned wells on federal lands.

In partnership with USACE and the Forest Service, the BLM is working to locate and identify orphaned oil and gas wells on federal lands across Appalachia. Once these wells are identified, they can be properly capped to prevent further environmental harm. However, locating them is often a challenging and complex process, according to Strohl.

The BLM's Trey Mitchell (white shirt) and Derek Strohl stand near an abandoned well in the Wayne National Forest in Ohio. (BLM photo by Fred Holzel)

"Most of the orphaned wells are in remote, mountainous areas, often far from roads," Strohl said. "When they were permitted and drilled, their locations were not precisely recorded, leaving just approximate locations to help us find them. If they were abandoned several decades ago, then access roads may have grown over. Sometimes the wells have nothing but a pipe sticking a foot or two above the ground, making them hard to spot through the brush."

At Shenango River Lake in Pennsylvania, land title records were examined to identify wells classified as abandoned, particularly those lacking documented plugging dates. Using location data - some of which was less precise than others - BLM petroleum engineers teamed up with USACE natural resources personnel for a field expedition. Together, they ventured into the woods to visually locate and confirm the existence and positions of the wells.

Derek Strohl, a supervisory geologist with the Bureau of Land Management's Northeastern States District Office and Hannah Smith, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers natural resource specialist, study a map of possible orphaned well locations at Shenango River Lake. (BLM photo by Eric Dehm)

While locating orphaned oil and gas wells scattered across the American landscape is no easy task, capping them presents its own set of challenges. Heavy equipment is required to access the sites and properly plug the wells. While a road or trail may have once existed to reach the wells at Shenango River Lake, the forest has long since reclaimed those paths. Despite the difficult terrain and obstacles, these wells must be addressed to prevent further environmental damage, according to Bill Spring, resource manager at USACE's Shenango River Lake. Spring sees this area as a prime example of why leaving any identified well uncapped is bad news for the local area and far beyond.

"We're all in one big watershed," Spring said. "A raindrop that falls here in the Shenango River Lake travels to the Ohio River, which feeds the Mississippi River that ends in the Gulf of Mexico. Pollution from these wells may travel this same route, leading to impacts far beyond this recreation area."

BLM staff arrive by boat at Wardwell Island on the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania to look for abandoned wells. (BLM photo by Fred Holzel)

Thinking of orphaned wells as merely a local issue is shortsighted, according to Strohl. Similarly, viewing them as the responsibility of one government agency is equally imprudent. Tackling legacy pollution on a large scale requires collaborative partnerships like the one between the BLM and USACE at Shenango River Lake.

"Our partners are critical to helping the BLM to not just get the job done, but get it done right," said Strohl. "The Corps of Engineers and the Forest Service are the experts familiar with these whole areas. They know who's using the land, how they're using the land, and what the sensitive resources are out there. Working hand-in-hand with our partners to address orphaned wells ensures we will minimize any disturbance when removing these scars from the landscape."

Derek Strohl, a supervisory geologist with the Bureau of Land Management's Northeastern States District Office takes a photo of an abandoned wellhead near the Shenango River Lake in Pennsylvania. (BLM photo by Eric Dehm)

In December 2024, the BLM received more than $11.2 million in funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to properly plug orphaned oil and gas wells on federal lands in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The BLM and its federal partners have identified more than 30 orphaned wells on the Wayne National Forest in Ohio, the Allegheny National Forest and Shenango River Lake in Pennsylvania, and Beech Fork Lake and Stonewall Jackson Lake in West Virginia.

"This initiative is a testament to the BLM's commitment to sustaining and restoring the health of public lands," said BLM Eastern States State Director Mitchell Leverette. "By addressing the legacy of orphaned oil and gas wells, we are not only cleaning up pollution but also ensuring these lands remain safe and vibrant for present and future generations to enjoy. The work we're doing here, in collaboration with our federal partners, underscores the BLM's dedication to tackling complex challenges through teamwork and innovation."

Drones carrying magnetometers can be used to locate hard to find wells is using, like this one taking off at Beechfork Lake, West Virginia. (Photo courtesy DRC Services and Construction Inc.)

According to Strohl, once a contractor is selected, work on the ground can begin. First, drones equipped with sensors will be flown over the sites of known wells to ensure no additional wells have been overlooked. In close collaboration with USACE and the Forest Service, temporary roads will need to be constructed to allow for heavy equipment, which will be used to plug the wells. Strohl anticipates work on these temporary roads to begin in spring 2025 at some locations, while the work in other locations will need to wait until fall, after natural resource and cultural surveys have been done to ensure that the plugging activities will not harm cultural artifacts or rare plants and animals.