Tracy Davis
2018
Depths to top of perforation and base of freshwater for oil and gas injection wells in California
Tabular Digital Data
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://doi.org/10.5066/F7FJ2DV3
Tracy Davis; Matt Landon; George Bennett
2018
Prioritization of California oil and gas fields for regional groundwater monitoring based on a preliminary assessment of petroleum resource development and proximity to groundwater resources
dataset
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185065
There are 487 onshore oil and gas fields in California encompassing 3,392 square miles of aggregated area. The California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) initiated a Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) in July 2015, intended to determine where and to what degree groundwater quality may be at potential risk to contamination related to oil and gas development activities including well stimulation, well integrity issues, produced water ponds, and underground injection. The first step in monitoring groundwater in and near oil and gas fields is to prioritize the 487 fields using consistent statewide analysis of available data that indicate potential risk of groundwater to oil and gas development. There were limited existing data on potential groundwater risk factors available for oil and gas fields across the state. During 2014-2016, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) extracted and compiled data from various sources, including the California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) and the Department of Water Resources (DWR).
The depth to top of perforated intervals and depth to base of freshwater for oil and gas injection wells in California were compiled from an Access database provided by the DOGGR in February 2015 as a retrieval from the California Well Information Management System (CalWIMS) database for Underground Injection Control (UIC) wells. This digital dataset contains 19,322 records for injection wells, of which 17,278 wells have a recorded depth to top of perforated intervals and 5,248 wells have a recorded depth to base of freshwater. The original dataset included the depths, American Petroleum Institute (API) numbers, oil and gas field, and well location. Wells were attributed with well status and type, and nearest oil and gas field for wells that plotted outside field boundaries using the DOGGR All Wells geospatial data included in this data release. Wells were attributed with land surface elevations using the California National Elevation Dataset.
Data were used to evaluate physical characteristics of oil and gas fields including petroleum-well density, volume of water injected in oil and gas fields, vertical proximity of oil and gas resource development to groundwater resources, and density of water wells overlying and adjacent to the fields. In the larger work associated with this data release, fields were prioritized for regional monitoring based on a statewide reconnaissance assessment of the intensity of petroleum resource development in each field and proximity to groundwater resources in California.
The depths to top of perforated intervals for injection wells were used to characterize the shallowest depth of petroleum resource development in each oil and gas field. The depths to base of freshwater reported in the database were used to characterize the depth of groundwater resources in each field. Vertical proximity, which is the vertical distance between petroleum resource development and groundwater resources, was calculated by using these values in combination with other data.
2018
publication date
As needed
-124.24438476424
-114.70825195213
41.800104178279
32.690379555123
none
oil and gas fields
petroleum
environmental resources
freshwater
well perforations
groundwater
prioritization
underground injection control
USGS Metadata Identifier
USGS:58c1bfb8e4b014cc3a3d3a84
none
California
Western United States
none
none
Tracy Davis
U.S. Geological Survey
mailing and physical
4165 Spruance Road Suite 200
San Diego
CA
92101
USA
619-225-6143
tadavis@usgs.gov
This dataset was created by the U.S. Geological Survey California Water Science Center in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board, California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, and California Department of Water Resources. Funding for this work was authorized by Senate Bill 4 and administered by the State Water Resources Control Board
Attributes added by the GIS and the dataset author were checked by inspection using a GIS.
The underground injection control (UIC) well depths were analyzed for errors in the process of evaluating statewide patterns in oil and gas well depth to top of perforations (TOP), depth to base of freshwater (BFW) and vertical proximity to groundwater resources and analyzed for typos. Verification included randomly selecting wells and checking that the top of perforation depth in the dataset matched that in the DOGGR online well records. Extremes (very shallow and very deep depths) were verified, as well as perforation depths near the base of freshwater.
The data for depths to base of freshwater have larger uncertainties than the other variables compiled for this analysis. The depth to BFW is often reported in the DOGGR UIC database and scanned well records for individual wells on the DOGGR Well Finder. The source and methodology of the reported depth to the BFW are generally not documented. The BFW is historically defined by DOGGR and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management as the depth in a well where the water in overlying aquifers has less than or equal to 3,000 milligrams per liter (mg/l or parts per million) total dissolved solids (TDS). The depth to the BFW has generally been estimated using qualitative interpretations of borehole geophysical logs to estimate the depth to the first sandy zone where TDS is greater than overlying zones or using water-quality criteria such as the presence of high concentrations of individual constituents like boron. Some oil and gas fields have field rules that define the criteria for estimating base of freshwater, but more commonly, specific criteria for determining the BFW within fields are not apparent. In spite of the uncertainties of what TDS value the reported BFW correspond to and how it is determined, the BFW data are an informative and widely available data source for evaluating proximity of oil and gas development to groundwater resources, if used with appropriate awareness of the limitations. When aggregated at oil field scales, the BFW data are likely to preserve regional differences that allow comparison of the relative depths of groundwater systems between oil fields. See the larger work (Davis and others, 2018) for additional discussion.
The CalWIMS database contains records for wells that have any history of injection or were considered for injection. There may be multiple records per well, or a well may be listed in the CalWIMS database but listed as a production well in the AllWells_11_19_14 file (included in this data release). Duplicate records were removed from this dataset, and the most recent configuration of the well was used. That is, if a well is listed as a production well in the AllWells_11_19_14 file but was converted to an injection well based on well records, then the well is listed as an injection well in this dataset. Wells were attributed primarily with information stored in the CalWIMS database rather than the AllWells_11_19_14 file.
This dataset does not represent a complete inventory of underground injection control (UIC) wells. Due to time constraints, only wells for which depth data that were readily available were included in this dataset. Dataset is considered complete for the purposes of this study. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details.
Well coordinates were reported in the California Well Information Management System (CalWIMS) database for UIC wells. Some wells were reported with invalid latitude and longitude values in the CalWIMS database or in the "All Wells" dataset. The exact location of these wells may be unknown or coordinates were typos.
In this dataset, wells were attributed with land surface elevations based on the coordinates listed in the AllWells_11_19_14 dataset. Wells with invalid coordinates were attributed with land surface elevations based on the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) designation listed in the AllWells_11_19_14 dataset. Some wells listed in the CalWIMS database were not listed in the AllWells_11_19_14 dataset. Land surface elevations were not attributed for these wells.
California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
20141119
AllWells_11_19_14
dataset
Sacramento, CA
State of California
http://www.conservation.ca.gov/dog/maps
digital
20141118
20141119
Publication date
All Wells
Source provided the well locations (latitude and longitude) which were used to attribute land surface elevations
California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
20140115
CA_AdminBdry
ArcGIS polygon shapefile
Sacramento, CA
State of California
http://www.conservation.ca.gov/dog/maps
digital
20140114
20140115
Publication date
Field Boundaries
Source provided administrative boundaries for oil and gas fields in California and California DOGGR Districts in which each field is located.
California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
20141119
Readme2014
Word metadata file
Sacramento, CA
State of California
http://www.conservation.ca.gov/dog/maps
digital
20141118
20141119
Publication date
Readme2014
Metadata file provided information on well attributes contained in the associated "All Wells" dataset.
The California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal (DOGGR) provided to the U.S. Geological Survey a digital copy of the California Well Information Management System (CalWIMS) Access database for UIC wells.
20150228
Well location (latitude and longitude), depth (depth to top of perforated intervals and base of freshwater), and identification (API number, well status, well type) information were compiled from the CalWIMS database. Values for depth to top of perforations or base of freshwater that were zero or non-numeric were removed. Wells with a status of "C" for cancelled were removed from the dataset.
20150303
Wells that were located outside oil and gas field boundaries (but within 3.1 miles of a field boundary) were attributed with the nearest field using the CA_AdminBdry shapefile. Based on well coordinates listed in the AllWells_11_19_14 dataset, wells were attributed with land surface elevations using the California National Elevation Dataset.
20150402
California PLSS
Point
1.0E-5
1.0E-5
Decimal degrees
North American Datum of 1983
Geodetic Reference System 80
6378137.0
298.257222
North American Vertical Datum of 1988
1.0
feet
Attribute values
land surface, drill floor, or kelly bushing
1.0
feet
Attribute values
UIC_well_depths
Table containing location and depth attributes for underground injection control wells in California.
U.S. Geological Survey
API
American Petroleum Institute (API) unique well identification number
American Petroleum Institute
00120008
25921762
MTRS
Meridian Township Range Section
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) designation lists the meridian, township, range, and section (MTRS). The PLSS system in California consists of three meridians (Humboldt - H, Mt. Diablo - M, and San Bernardino – S) and baselines. Each township is identified by township and range designations: township designation indicates the location north (N) or south (S) of the baseline; and range indicates the location east (E) or west (W) of the meridian. Each township is divided into 36 numbered sections, each approximately 1 square mile.
Latitude
latitude in decimal degrees
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
0
334531.925
Longitude
longitude in decimal degrees
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
0
-1181052.455
LSE_ft
land surface elevation at well location, feet
producer defined
-14.6343514
3575.52916358268
District
California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources District number
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
1
DOGGR District 1
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
2
DOGGR District 2
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
3
DOGGR District 3
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
4
DOGGR District 4
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
5
DOGGR District 5
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
6
DOGGR District 6
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
Field
Oil and gas field in which well is located or nearest field
producer defined
Oil and gas field in which well is located or nearest field
Dist2fld_ft
distance between well location and the nearest oil field administrative boundary, feet. Value of zero indicates well is within the administrative boundary of the oil field
producer defined
0
15900
feet
Status
well status
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
A
active
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
B
buried
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
I
idle
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
N
new
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
P
plugged
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
Type
well type
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
AI
air injection
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
GD
gas disposal
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
GS
gas storage
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
LG
liquid gas
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
PM
pressure maintenance
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
SC
cyclic steam
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
SF
steam flood
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
WD
waste-water disposal
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
WF
water flood
California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources
TOP_ft
depth to top of perforations, feet
producer defined
depth value reported in database. A blank value indicates no value available.
BFW_ft
depth to base of freshwater, feet
producer defined
depth value reported in database. A blank value indicates no value available.
ScienceBase
U.S. Geological Survey
mailing and physical
Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
Denver
CO
80225
USA
1-888-275-8747
sciencebase@usgs.gov
Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
This zip file contains data available in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format. The user must have software capable of uncompressing the WinZip file and displaying the spreadsheet.
20200812
Tracy Davis
USGS
Hydrologist
mailing and physical
4165 Spruance Road, Suite 200
San Diego
CA
92101
USA
619-225-6143
tadavis@usgs.gov
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
FGDC-STD-001-1998