Revised On: April. 25, 2024 - 9:00 a.m.
ADEQ is working in partnership with the Arizona Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (AZOGCC), and with our community and with State and private landowners to address orphaned oil and gas wells and well sites in Arizona.* Funded by a $25 million competitive grant awarded to ADEQ on behalf of AZOGCC by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), this multi-year program will mitigate potential safety, public health and environmental risks associated with these wells | Learn More >
Because many oil and gas wells in Arizona were drilled in the early 1900s, they pre-date current regulations and may not have been properly plugged.
In addition to the potential orphaned oil and gas wells identified during the research for the grant application, there could be more, and ADEQ encourages community members to report these wells to us so that we can further investigate them for possible inclusion in this program.*
Do you think you found an orphan oil and gas well?
Program Update
ADEQ has identified just under 200 potential orphaned oil and gas wells eligible to proceed in the program.
As of April 2024, just over 80 of the approximate 200 potential orphaned oil and gas wells have been located in the field. These field-verified wells include confirmed orphaned wells, plugged oil and gas wells and converted water wells registered with the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
- AZ potential orphaned oil and gas well locations as of November 2023 | View >
In addition, ADEQ successfully plugged its first orphaned well under this program. This well was prioritized for plugging due to scheduled land redevelopment and has provided valuable information allowing the Orphaned Oil and Gas Well Program to better prepare for future orphaned well plugging activities.
ADEQ and its contractors are continuing work in the field:
- Physically verifying well locations and assessing conditions,
- Conducting cultural and environmental land surveys,
- Performing environmental sampling that will be used to prioritize well-plugging activities, and
- Conducting drone magnetometer surveys to find orphaned wells that are possibly buried and to look for additional potential orphaned oil and gas wells to include in this program.
Program Phases
ADEQ’s Orphaned Oil and Gas Well Program has four phases that will be carried out over a three-year period, from October 2022 to December 2025:
Phase 1 - Site Assessment — Verify potential orphaned oil and gas wells and their program eligibility* by conducting file reviews to gather information about ownership, location, geology, etc.
Phase 2 - Site Characterization — State contractors, who are focused on employing displaced oil and gas workers, conduct fieldwork. This includes working with landowners to access potential orphaned well sites, gather additional information about the well and area, verify well locations and conduct environmental sampling of air, soil and water (surface water and groundwater where available). If needed, ADEQ will work with the community and property owners to temporarily restrict well-site access to address public health and environmental concerns before well-plugging activities.
Phase 3 - Well Plugging — Well plugging involves placing cement into the wellbore, at appropriate depth intervals, to seal off zones, or layers, where oil or gas was found, and then placing a permanent cap on the well. Confirmation methane testing will be conducted to ensure the well is plugged correctly. ADEQ will work closely with property owners and nearby community members to coordinate well-plugging activities.
Phase 4 - Site Remediation — If needed, ADEQ will conduct a cleanup or restoration of the landscape surrounding the plugged well to return the area to its original state. These activities may include removing affected soil, grading the surrounding landscape to match native ground cover and re-planting native species.
