Winganon Orphaned Wells and Oil Spills

Weston has been partnering with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and EPA since 2009 to plug thousands of leaking, abandoned oil wells that were discharging oil or threatening to discharge oil into navigable waters, ground surface and creeks near Lake Oologah in Rogers and Nowata Counties, OK. The EPA has been addressing this problem over the last 20 years, most recently at the Winganon Oil Spill Project. Under the Winganon project, Weston performed ground-truth surveys to locate and assessed oil wells and tank batteries; performed data capture and management through a site-specific database and Geographic Information Systems (GIS); assisted with landowner and operator public relations; conducted potential responsible party (PRP) research; provided oversight and documentation for plugging and abandonment activities; tracked costs on a per-well basis; and produced project reports/well plugging documentation, encompassing approximately 75 square miles of both Rogers and Nowata Counties. Weston identified over 2,500 well sites (wells and tank batteries) within 8,120 acres that could pose a threat to discharge oil into the waterways. Weston’s service to Oklahoma Corporation Commission and EPA in plugging abandoned oil wells is critical to ensuring human health and protecting the environment by preventing methane leaks, safeguarding water quality, and mitigating explosive hazards.