Groundwater in the Great Lakes Basin

The cost of plugging abandoned water wells is largely
dependent on the geology of the area, the type of well
and if there has been any contamination (Michigan
DEQ, 2005). If the proper steps for plugging wells are
taken before contamination occurs, the costs can be
significantly reduced. The cost of plugging a typical
residential abandoned well generally ranges from $300
to $700. The cost is significantly higher for plugging
public water supply wells, ranging from $2,000 to
$10,000 (McEwan, 2006). A number of programs have
been established to provide financial aid to owners in
order to properly close abandoned wells. For example,
the Clean Michigan Initiative awarded over $3 million
in grants to 64 communities in 2005 (McEwan, 2006).
Significant numbers of abandoned wells have been
deemed “orphan wells.” These wells do not have a
viable owner or an owner who does not have sufficient
funds to pay for the proper decommissioning and reclamation
of the site (Turcza, 2004). These sites result in
significant expenses being placed on the government
and states. In the United States there are more than
57,000 orphan oil and gas wells (Turcza, 2004). With
an average closing cost of $5,400, it is estimated that
over $560 million will be needed to properly plug these
known wells (Turcza, 2004). The number of orphan
wells in Canada is unknown but Environment Canada
estimates it to be in the thousands (Environment
Canada, 2004). In Pennsylvania there are estimated to
be 7,500 orphan wells. The cost to the state to properly
close these known orphan sites is over $64 million.
Also, over 184,000 additional wells are believed to exist
with unknown status and location, likely increasing
the number of orphan sites (Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection, 1998). Proper well closing
can be much more costly. For example, the Peace River
Well in Alberta, drilled into a high-pressure saline
aquifer, cost over $6 million to be properly decommissioned
(Turcza, 2004).
Large numbers of abandoned wells whose locations
are unknown, and may never be known, exist across
the U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes Basin. A number
of key identifiers can be used to determine if there is
an abandoned well on a property (Figure 14). The first
step is to try to find old drilling records or billing statements
that would indicate the depth and location of a
well (Michigan DEQ, 2005). Often, there are no records
of older wells and other means must be used to discover
their locations (Michigan DEQ, 2005; Shortt, 2004).
These include:
• Distressed vegetation
• Settled ground
• Oily or salty water seeps
• Smell of natural gas or crude oil (sulphurous
odour)
• Water well contaminated with hydrocarbons
Figure 14.
Old windmills are beacons for
locating abandoned water wells
Photo by: D.W. Alley, 2007.
• Piles of rock and other debris
• Concrete slabs and old foundations
• Metal pipes protruding from the ground (both
indoors and outdoors)
• Old pumps
• Electrical switch boxes
• Hand pumps
• Old barns, windmills, pump houses and other brick
or stone structures
Unfortunately, discovering abandoned wells can sometimes
be difficult or nearly impossible. Wells get built
and paved over. Because many people view abandoned
wells as eyesores, pipes are sawed off below ground
level often leaving only a slight ground depression to
indicate their presence. The use of metal detectors can
sometimes aid in their discovery and resistivity, and
magnetics were utilized in a recent study as a costeffective
method for locating abandoned wells (Borton,
Vincent and Onasch, 2007; Michigan DEQ, 2005).
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Several measures must be implemented to help alleviate
the stresses and dangers that improperly abandoned
wells are placing on groundwater quality in the Great
Lakes Basin:
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