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How You Can Help

If you discover an abandoned well, DEP is available to ensure that it has been properly identified and that any potential environmental, health and safety issues are addressed, as resources allow. You can contact DEP by calling one of the Oil and Gas District offices at Meadville District Office: 814.332.6860

News and Updates

Webinar
Penn State Extension Service is working on a program to get more wells into the DEP database by having landowners report abandoned wells on their property to DEP for future plugging.Penn Sate Webinar

Penn State Extension Service is planning future in person public meetings to further explain the program.

Lee highlights Pennsylvania’s abandoned gas wells problem March 28, 2024

A Pennsylvania Community Wins a Reprieve on Toxic Fracking Wastewater June 13, 2023

Pennsylvania Expects $400 Million in Infrastructure Funds to Begin Plugging Thousands of Abandoned Oil Wells Stacey Burling, June 11, 2023

‘We don’t feel safe’: US community in shock after record methane leak March 6, 2023

Plugging Pennsylvania’s Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells January 27, 2023

Colorado ponders storing carbon in defunct oil and gas wells

Pa. drillers abandoned thousands of natural gas wells in 5 years, ignored state law, report says January 2023

NETL Story Map Rediscovery of Abandoned Wells in the World's First Oil Field

To find old methane-leaking oil wells, researchers look to history

New Abandoned Wells: DEP Records Show Abandoning Oil & Gas Wells Without Plugging Them Is Pervasive In Conventional Drilling Industry; Who Is Protecting Taxpayers? (March 2022)

PA Environmental Digest Blog - Federal Infrastructure Well Plugging (Feb 7, 2022)

Unplugged - Pittsburgh Post Gazette - April 3, 2020

Old oil and gas sites are a climate menace. Meet the company that owns more of America’s decaying wells than any other. By Zachary R. Mider and Rachel Adams-Heard of Bloomberg Green

Video of Methane Hunting trip by Zachary R. Mider and Rachel Adams-Heard of Bloomberg Green

With Billions in Federal Dollars, Will Pennsylvania Finally Cap Its Abandoned, Polluting Oil Wells? (Capital & Main) - December 8, 2021

Surge in funds gives hope for plugging wells. How to distribute money next challenge for state. (By LAURA LEGERE AND ANYA LITVAK PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE)

Plugging abandoned wells boosts local economies

CBS News Video: Abandoned gas and oil wells becoming an environmental threat in the U.S.

Who owns the stream in PA.
The title to the beds of public waters is held in trust by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the benefit of the public. In case of rivers and streams, the Commonwealth's ownership extends to ordinary low water mark, and the adjacent riparian landowner owns above the low water mark.

Izaak Walton League - Clean Water Webinars

Watersheds Info

Impaired Streams [ Click on number 2 -- Click on red stream to get additional info. ]

Integrated Water Quality Report – 2024

Radioactivity from Oil and Gas Wastewater Persists in Pennsylvania Stream Sediments


Private Water Wells

Who owns groundwater in Pennsylvania?
In Pennsylvania, as in most of the Eastern United States, the right to water is not a property right to which title can be acquired, but rather a "right of use" of the water resources, called the "usufructuary right." The usufructuary right is one of those in the bundle of rights that goes with property ownership.

Penn State Extension - Drinking Water Webinars For Master Well Owners Network (MWON)

Roadside Springs and other Unsafe Sources Penn State Extension


Video Retired Oil Exec Wants to Plug Up Millions of Abandoned Wells Across the US

Super Enzyme - Eats Plastic


Repairing the Damage from Hazardous Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells - Ohio River Valley Institute

Well Plugging Liabilities by State

Plugging Liabilities

Oil and Gas Firms Are Saddling States with Billions in Cleanup Costs

Pennsylvania Faces New Wave of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells


Pennsylvania confirms first fracking-related earthquakes

Spate of small earthquakes shuts down fracking activity in Lawrence County

NASA Climate Science

A map that shows the locations of Abandoned Wells found by Venango PaSEC and wells plugged by DEP
See the Map

A map showing the locations of unconventional gas wells and our stream monitoring locations.
Clicking on a stream location will provide a link to our data.
Stream Monitoring Map

Stream Baseline Data

What We Do!

Leaking well

Locate Leaking Abandoned Well

Macrocollecting

Water Monitoring
Macro-invertebrate Collection

Watershed education

Watershed Education
Revegetating a Stream Bank

Mine water from well

Water Flowing From Abandoned Well

Well Hunters

Orphan Well Hunters