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The number of abandoned wells in the United States is simply staggering. By NRDC’s count, there are roughly 3.2 million across the country, including a large quantity in Ohio. Unfortunately, some of these wells are located on private land. Some are even present in the yards of homeowners.
If you’re an Ohio landowner and you’re pretty certain you have an abandoned well on your property, you may believe you have to pay out of pocket to get your well plugged. The good news is, that may not be the case. Ohio has a program in place to help you deal with that abandoned well problem once and for all without paying a single cent. Here’s why you should consider plugging that well on your land and how Ohio will help you do just that.
Why Plug Your Abandoned Well?
For some, the mere sight of an orphaned well is enough reason to plug it. The remnants of well long since abandoned can be quite an eyesore, plus the equipment left behind to rust can affect what you’re able to do with your land. But did you know that these wells can impact both your wallet and your health, too?
According to Resources for the Future, abandoned wells are quite consistent when it comes to reducing property value. If you have land in Ohio you may want to sell at some point, having such a well present could drive down the price prospective buyers are willing to pay.
Not only that, but these wells are notorious for leaking harmful chemicals into groundwater, which some homes use as their primary water source. If you’d like to avoid polluting the H2O you drink, you should probably make it a point to plug that abandoned well in your yard.
Take Advantage of Ohio’s Orphan Well Program
Where residential plug and abandonment is concerned, the state of Ohio has been a leader at making sure landowners have access to the resources they need. Nowhere is that more evident than in the state’s Orphan Well Program, which is administered by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ (ODNR) Division of Oil and Gas.
The Orphan Well Program uses funds collected from oil and gas taxes to fund plug and abandonment projects. From there, the Division of Oil and Gas uses its own team to research and locate the wells, then hire out pre-approved contractors to plug them.
If you have an abandoned well on your Ohio property, however, you may not be all that content to wait for ODNR to find your well and put it on the schedule. That’s what makes the Landowner Pass-Through Program such an amazing resource.
The Landowner Pass-Through Program works like this: If you’re aware of a well on your land, you can apply to use ODNR funds to plug it. The department will go through a process of ensuring your well is indeed abandoned and meets other select criteria. Should it be approved, however, ODNR will foot the bill for a contractor to plug the well on your property. This will save you tens of thousands of dollars versus hiring someone to do it yourself.
Book Your P&A Project With Plants & Goodwin
Plants & Goodwin has helped customers meet their well servicing needs for over 50 years, and that includes offering those who aren’t well operators – such as property owners – the same plug and abandonment services as commercial clients.
