Current through Bulletin 2024-18, September 15, 2024
1. Before operations are commenced to plug
and abandon any well the owner or operator shall submit a notice of intent to
plug and abandon to the division for its approval.
1.1. The notice shall be submitted on Form 9,
Sundry Notice and Report on Wells.
1.2. A legible copy of a similar report and
form filed with the appropriate federal agency may be used in lieu of the forms
prescribed by the board.
1.3. In
cases of emergency the operator may obtain verbal or telegraphic approval to
plug and abandon.
1.4. Within five
days after receiving verbal or telegraphic approval, the operator shall submit
a written notice of intent to plug and abandon on Form 9.
2. Both verbal and written notice of intent
to plug and abandon a well shall contain the following information:
2.1. The location of the well described by
section, township, range, and county.
2.2. The status of the well, whether
drilling, producing, injecting or inactive.
2.3. A description of the well bore
configuration indicating depth, casing strings, cement tops if known, and hole
size.
2.4. The tops of known
geologic markers or formations.
2.5. The plugging program approved by the
appropriate federal agency if the well is located on federal or Indian
land.
2.6. An indication of when
plugging operations will commence.
3. A dry or abandoned well must be plugged so
that oil, gas, water, or other substance will not migrate through the well bore
from one formation to another.
3.1. Unless a
different method and procedure is approved by the division, the method and
procedure for plugging the well shall be as follows:
3.2. The bottom of the hole shall be filled
to, or a bridge shall be placed at, the top of each producing formation open to
the well bore, and a cement plug not less than 100 feet in length shall be
placed immediately above each producing formation open to the well
bore.
3.3. A solid cement plug
shall be placed from 50 feet below a fresh water zone to 50 feet above the
fresh water zone, or a 100 foot cement plug shall be centered across the base
of the fresh water zone and a 100 foot plug shall be centered across the top of
the fresh water zone.
3.4. At least
ten sacks of cement shall be placed at the surface in a manner completely
plugging the entire hole. If more than one string of casing remains at the
surface, any annuli shall be so cemented.
3.5. The interval between plugs shall be
filled with noncorrosive fluid of adequate density to prevent migration of
formation water into or through the well bore.
3.6. The hole shall be plugged up to the base
of the surface string with noncorrosive fluid of adequate density to prevent
migration of formation water into or through the well bore, at which point a
plug of not less than 50 feet of cement shall be placed.
3.7. Any perforated interval shall be plugged
with cement and any open hole porosity zone shall be adequately isolated to
prevent migration of fluids.
3.8. A
cement plug not less than 100 feet in length shall be centered across the
casing stub if any casing is cut and pulled, a second plug of the same length
shall be centered across the casing shoe of the next larger
casing.
4. An alternative
method of plugging, required under a federal or Indian lease, will be accepted
by the division.
5. Within 30 days
after the plugging of any well has been accomplished, the owner or operator
shall file a subsequent report of plugging with the division. The report shall
give a detailed account of the following items:
5.1. The manner in which the plugging work
was carried out, including the nature and quantities of materials used in
plugging and the location, nature, and extent by depths, of the
plugs.
5.2. Records of any tests or
measurements made.
5.3. The amount,
size, and location, by depths of any casing left in the well.
5.4. A statement of the volume of mud fluid
used.
5.5. A complete report of the
method used and the results obtained, if an attempt was made to part any
casing.
6. Upon
application to and approval by the division, and following assumption of
liability for the well by the surface owner, a well or other exploratory hole
that may safely be used as a fresh water well need not be filled above the
required sealing plugs set below the fresh water formation. The owner of the
surface of the land affected may assume liability for any well capable of
conversion to a water well by sending a letter assuming such liability to the
division and by filing an application with and obtaining approval for
appropriation of underground water from the Division of Water Rights.
7. Unless otherwise approved by the division,
any abandoned wells shall be marked with a permanent monument showing the well
number, location, and name of the lease. The monument shall consist of a
portion of pipe not less than four inches in diameter and not less than ten
feet in length, of which four feet shall be above the ground level and the
remainder shall be securely embedded in cement. The top of the pipe must be
permanently sealed.
8. If any
casing is to be pulled after a well has been abandoned, a notice of intent to
pull casing must be filed with the division and its approval obtained before
the work is commenced.
8.1. The notice shall
include full details of the contemplated work. If a log of the well has not
already been filed with the division, the notice shall be accompanied by a copy
of the log showing any casing seats as well as any water strata and oil and gas
shows.
8.2. Where the well has been
abandoned and liability has been terminated with respect to the bond previously
furnished under Subsection
R649-3-1, a $10,000
plugging bond shall be filed with the division by the
applicant.
