Oil and Gas Well Question?

After a well is drilled it will be logged to pin point producing formations. Following that a couple of processes can be used to improve production including fracing. Note that the depth of the gas producing formations are probably way below the bottom of your well especially if the new well is headed to the Marcellus shale.

Here's a link that explains fracing. Note that it can also be used on water wells to improve flow.

http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/Env/wat...fracturing.asp

No in the east...

Here a deed in Pa. plainly states that you own all the water that passes over, through, or within.

It can be a real pain. Say for instance your neighbor has his down spouts running off the roof onto the edge of his property. Then you get a big storm and the water flows so fast that it floods your basement. By law your basement was flooded by the water on your land so it was flooded by you. Kinda dumb I know.

Darren, thanks for a more even-handed description of the process than my admittedly very biased rant, which I just pasted from my bog since I was pressed for time. Note that it's a Canadian publication, and that regulations are likely to be somewhat different.

I really encourage everyone living in an area over Marcellus shale to make the effort to get informed about this. I'm honestly not just a kneejerk reactionary "all-drilling-is-bad" hippie, but I object to the tactics being used in many areas to coerce people who are desperate and in real financial trouble to risk their own and their neighbors' safe drinking water for the sake of a few thousand dollars.

These companies are not going to come back voluntarily and clean up after themselves, and they're trying to get the rights to as much water and land as they can before the politicians wake up and put some regulations in place. Just be careful, please.

People have every right to be leary when the landman or woman knocks on their door. A lot of the damage is done before the drill rig is moved to the well location by the service company that builds the access road, levels the location and excavates the pit. The smaller drilling outfits working back in the sticks don't exactly worry about oil spills.You won't see anything major. However the older air compressors are driven by Detroit diesels which are leakers. The crankcase oil has to be checked and refilled three times a day. Periodically an oil truck will deliver diesel fuel and lube oils to the job. If something runs over no one worries about it. A mixture of diesel and soap is used to clean the whole rig. There's usually a porta-john there to keep the EPA happy. But, no one uses it because no one ever cleans it out. It's always empty.

Your example does sound like a "dumb" law. But, I guess you can't blame the guy at the top of the hill for his run off, which doesn't make the law sound so dumb in the end.

And, yes... "passes over, through, or within". But, I said "source". If the property owner next to me allows drilling which diverts the water elsewhere by fracturing the aquifer, I can't stop them. It no longer passes over, through, or within my property.

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In PA there is no pooling law, so if your property doesn't have a lease with a gas company, you don't get a part of the royalties...

Darren, there are already regulations in place... or maybe it's mostly state laws. And I can assure you that the EPA monitors the operations.

Admittedly, I know nothing about their porta-johns, and don't want to know!

We have gas drilling going on all around us and have experienced nothing like you're describing. I must admit, we expected much misery from all of this mess, but have pleasantly surprised at the way these companies are handling things.

The big trucks tore up our existing dirt road. We called them, they laid a thick bed of gravel.

The roads that they make are wide with a thick bed of gravel. No mess.

They dusted us out for awhile, but we called the state EPA office and the next day they started running a water truck off and on all day when truck traffic is heavy.

We were concerned about our hunting and wildlife future, especially with the noise, etc. But, they clean up spotlessly after themselves, and heavily replant good grasses on any easements, etc. The wildlife is thriving.

When the drilling is done, the pad is 1 square acre with nothing left on it but the little well pump.

Sure, we wish they'd never have come here to our little mountain in the boonies. But, it surely hasn't been the nightmare that we had predicted it would be. As you said, the traffic is horrendous for a couple of weeks while they're putting in a new pad and drilling, but then only a few pickup trucks after that.... shift change. They operate 24 hrs here.

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Here the only gravel they put down is where they exit the main road. They use dozers to drag the big truck up and down, yes down the mountain side, because when it is wet the trucks are usually sunk to thier axles. Then thet leave a mess of mud on the roads and they think it is ok to just run the water truck on the road with the valve open to say they are washing off the road. I eill try to post some pics later of the damage they did to our drive way and tried to say they didn't do it until they found out we had pics of them running across the drive. A pic is worth a thousand words. Also the one company here dumped the pond into the creek the day they finished drilling and had to clean up thier mess. Good luck with them. Sam
PS Here they pay for to have your water tested if the well is within 1,000 feet of your well. If they say it is bad have it tested yourself.

Terrible! What companies are working in WV?

When the roadside began sloping due to truck traffic, we were getting runoff from the road into our yard. DH called them... it took a couple of calls... but they came out and put in a culvert.

Sounds like some companies (in WV) just really don't care. They seem more amicable, here.

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The fact to remember is that the drillers are working on a contract for the owner of the well. A few production companies may own their own drilling rigs but they are in a minority at least in WV. The driller is going to minimize expenses. As for inspections and compliance with the law, I suspect if the location is visible from a main highway, the site will be more likely to be in compliance. Off a back road and up a holler somewhere, good luck. I've seen some gas companies that were good to work with and others that seem to relish giving you a hard time.