Hurricane Ida delays work to plug leaking well at lake
ODNR using detector to search for other wells
After an out-of-use oil well dating back to the 1930s began leaking into a state-owned lake, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources plans to use a detector to search for other orphan wells.
The inspectors likely will use a drone, which will have be equipped with a magnetometer, to check for other orphan wells at Lake Veto in Washington County, according to a staff member at the cleanup site.
“Wells located in the lake, but determined not to be leaking would be classified as high-priority wells. The current well was classified as an emergency because it leaked in the lake,” said Stephanie O’grady, a spokeswoman for the department.
The state continues to clean up a crude oil spill from a leaking orphan well found in Plum Run, which empties into Veto Lake. The 160-acre lake used
for fishing and recreation was constructed by the state in the 1950s.
However, a former landowner remembers wells that his family installed
dating back to the 1930s. The state has no record of the wells, including the one
“At this time, no waste has been disposed of. The contractor has identified Kimble Companies as their anticipated disposal subcontractor.”
at the edge of Plum Run that began leaking oil last month.
That's an issue that's true for the entire state. No one knows how many orphan wells exist in Ohio.
ODNR has on record as many as 972 wells, according to an annual report. However, academic studies estimate that there are between 158,000 and 183,000 wells. The average cost to plug a well in Ohio is between $85,000 and $100,000.
That cost means many landowners have a liability on their property that they likely can't afford to fix. Orphan wells can leak methane, contributing to climate change, crude oil and in some instances have had hydraulic fracturing waste migrating from class II injection wells that results in widespread contamination.
A bipartisan infrastructure bill would spend $21 billion to clean up Superfund and brownfield sites, reclaim
Stephanie O’grady Ohio Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman
abandoned mine land, as well as plug orphaned gas wells.
Rains from Hurricane Ida have slowed down the cleanup process for the leaking well, O'grady said.
The state has hired Nupointe Energy LLC to plug the well, which is estimated to take two to three weeks, depending on weather. It's unknown how much oil has spilled.
“At this time, no waste has been disposed of. The contractor has identified Kimble Companies as their anticipated disposal subcontractor,” she said.
To clean up and plug the leaking well is estimated to cost $315,000, O'grady said. bharvilla@dispatch.com @Beth_harvilla