Claire A. Grove
Matthew D. Merrill
20220822
United States Documented Unplugged Orphaned Oil and Gas Well Dataset
spreadsheet
https://doi.org/10.5066/P91PJETI
https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/62ebd67bd34eacf539724c56
The United States Documented Unplugged Orphaned Oil and Gas Well (DOW) dataset contains 117,672 wells in 27 states. The definition of an orphaned oil or gas well varies across data sources; the dataset includes oil or gas wells where the state indicates that the well is an unplugged orphan, or the following criteria are met: 1) no production for an average of 12 months (6 to 24 months depending on the state), 2) the well is unplugged, 3) there is no responsible party to manage the well for future re-use or for plugging and abandonment, and 4) the location of the well is documented. The dataset includes location coordinates, American Petroleum Institute (API) number, or other identification number, well type, well status, and additional information for each unplugged orphaned well.
All data were collected by direct requests to the respective state agency overseeing oil and gas wells or data downloads from their online databases. Location format conversion was performed on wells without coordinate locations using tools provided by the Bureau of Land Management and some state agencies. No other data manipulations were performed to the source data aside from reformatting or the addition of explanatory notes.
The dataset was created to provide documented orphaned well data to decision makers, as well as researchers, and other interested parties in a publicly available online format.
20190701
20220602
publication date
None planned
-156.3187
-73.4567
69.5414
26.1131
ISO 19115 Topic Category
geoscientificInformation
None
orphaned oil and gas wells
oil wells
gas wells
unplugged well
USGS Thesaurus
natural gas resources
greenhouse gases
geospatial datasets
DOW dataset
USGS Metadata Identifier
USGS:62ebd67bd34eacf539724c56
U.S. States
Arkansas
Indiana
Mississippi
Nevada
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Texas
Utah
Wyoming
Colorado
Alaska
Alabama
California
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Mexico
North Dakota
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
West Virginia
None. Please see 'Distribution Info' for details.
None. Users are advised to read the dataset's metadata thoroughly to understand appropriate use and data limitations.
Matthew D. Merrill
U.S. Geological Survey, Northeast Region: Geology, Energy & Minerals SC
Supervisory Research Geologist
mailing address
Mail Stop 954, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr
Reston
VA
20192
US
703-648-6457
703-648-6404
mmerrill@usgs.gov
No formal attribute accuracy tests were conducted.
No formal logical accuracy tests were conducted.
Dataset is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details.
No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted
No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted
Alabama Oil and Gas Board
20220118
Alabama Oil and Gas Board Abandoned Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://www.ogb.state.al.us/ogb/wells
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20220118
publication date
Alabama Oil and Gas Board, 2022
Alabama abandoned oil and gas well data
Alaska Oil and Gas Compact Commission
20210304
Alaska Oil and Gas Compact Commission Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20210304
publication date
Alaska Oil and Gas Compact Commission, 2021
Alaska orphan oil and gas well data
Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services GIS Office
20210617
Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services GIS Office Abandoned Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
vector digital data
https://gis.arkansas.gov/product/arkansas-oil-and-gas-wells/
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20210617
publication date
Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services GIS Office, 2021
Arkansas abandoned orphan oil and gas well data
California Department of Conservation Geologic Energy Management Division
20191231
California Department of Conservation Geologic Energy Management Division Idle Oil and Gas Well Data
publication
https://www.conservation.ca.gov/calgem/idle_well/Documents/AB%202729%20Idle%20Well%20Program%20Report%202019.pdf
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20191231
publication date
California Department of Conservation Geologic Energy Management Division, 2019
California idle oil and gas well data
Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
20190701
Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
vector digital data
https://cogcc.state.co.us/data2.html#/downloads
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20190701
publication date
Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, 2019
Colorado orphan oil and gas well data
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
20220503
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Temporarily Abandoned Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20220503
publication date
Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 2022
Illinois temporarily abandoned oil and gas well data
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
20220124
Indiana Department of Natural Resources Orphan Abandoned Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://www.in.gov/dnr/oil-and-gas/files/og-abandoned_oil_wells_program.pdf
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20220124
publication date
Indiana Department of Natural Resources, 2022
Indiana orphan abandoned oil and gas well data
Kansas Corporation Commission
20220418
Kansas Corporation Commission Abandoned Oil and Gas Well Data
publication
https://kcc.ks.gov/images/PDFs/legislative-reports/2021_Abandoned_Oil_and_Gas_Well_Status_Report.pdf
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20220418
publication date
Kansas Corporation Commission, 2022
Kansas abandoned oil and gas well data
Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet
20210701
Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://eec.ky.gov/Natural-Resources/Oil-and-Gas/Resources/Pages/default.aspx
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20210701
publication date
Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet , 2021
Kentucky orphan oil and gas well data
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
20221210
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://sonlite.dnr.state.la.us/pls/apex/f?p=108:2700:14917165113687::NO:2700::
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20221210
publication date
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, 2022a
Louisiana orphan oil and gas well data
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
20220527
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://www.egle.state.mi.us/dataminer/
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20220527
publication date
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, 2022a
Michigan orphan oil and gas well data
Mississippi State Oil and Gas Board
20220502
Mississippi State Oil and Gas Board Orphan and Potentially Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://www.ogb.state.ms.us/wellsearch.php
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20220502
publication date
Mississippi State Oil and Gas Board, 2022
Mississippi orphan and potentially orphan oil and gas well data
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
20200629
Missouri Department of Natural Resources Orphan and Abandoned Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://gis-modnr.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/modnr::oil-and-gas-wells-1/about
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20200629
publication date
Missouri Department of Natural Resources, 2020
Missouri orphan and abandoned oil and gas well data
Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation
20210414
Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
http://www.bogc.dnrc.mt.gov/webapps/dataminer/Wells/WellOrphans.aspx
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20210414
publication date
Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation, 2021
Montana orphan oil and gas well data
Nebraska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission
20211213
Nebraska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission Abandoned and Shut In Oil and Gas Well Data
vector digital data
http://www.nogcc.ne.gov/NOGCCPublications.aspx
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20211213
publication date
Nebraska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, 2021
Nebraska abandoned and shut in oil and gas well data
Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
20200106
Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Abandoned and Shut In Oil and Gas Wells Data
spreadsheet
https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fdata.nbmg.unr.edu%2Fpublic%2FOilGas%2FLogs%2Foilgas_well_index_20200106.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20200106
publication date
Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, 2020
Nevada abandoned and shut in oil and gas well data
New Mexico Oil Conservation Division
20220422
New Mexico Oil Conservation Division Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://wwwapps.emnrd.nm.gov/ocd/ocdpermitting/Reporting/Compliance/InactiveWells.aspx
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20220422
publication date
New Mexico Oil Conservation Division, 2022
New Mexico orphan oil and gas well data
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
20221206
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Unknown Oil and Gas Well Status Wells Data
spreadsheet
https://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/GasOil/search/wells/index.cfm
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20221206
publication date
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 2022
New York oil and gas wells with "unknown" status
North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources
20220106
North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources Abandoned Oil and Gas Well Data
vector digital data
https://www.dmr.nd.gov/OaGIMS/viewer.htm
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20220106
publication date
North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, 2022
North Dakota abandoned oil and gas well data
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
20220512
Ohio Department of Natural Resources Orphan and Potential Orphan Oil and Gas Wells Data
tabular digital data
https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/safety-conservation/about-ODNR/oil-gas/oil-gas-resources/featured-content-3
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20220512
publication date
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 2022
Ohio orphan and potential orphan oil and gas wells
Oklahoma Corporation Commission Oil and Gas Conservation
20211119
Oklahoma Corporation Commission Oil and Gas Conservation Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://oklahoma.gov/occ/divisions/oil-gas/oil-gas-data.html
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20211119
publication date
Oklahoma Corporation Commission Oil and Gas Conservation, 2021
Oklahoma orphan oil and gas well data
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
20220509
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20220509
publication date
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 2022
Pennsylvania orphan oil and gas well data
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
20211209
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Forfeited Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20211209
publication date
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, 2021
Tennessee forfeited oil and gas well data
Texas Railroad Commission
20211231
Texas Railroad Commission Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://www.rrc.state.tx.us/oil-and-gas/research-and-statistics/well-information/orphan-wells-12-months/
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20211331
publication date
Texas Railroad Commission, 2021
Texas orphan oil and gas well data
Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining
20211108
Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://oilgas.ogm.utah.gov/oilgasweb/data-center/dc-main.xhtml
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20211108
publication date
Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining, 2021
Utah orphan oil and gas well data
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
20210811
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Abandoned Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://data-wvdep.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/371f4703e0974e3cb79d40a0ca4e8ee5_7/explore?location=19.955599%2C-81.613450%2C5.57
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20210811
publication date
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, 2021
West Virginia abandoned oil and gas well data
Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission
20220602
Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission Orphan Oil and Gas Well Data
spreadsheet
https://dataexplorer.wogcc.wyo.gov/
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20220602
publication date
Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, 2022
Wyoming orphan oil and gas well data
FracTracker
20210508
FracTracker Texas Production Wells, Service-Storage-Injection Wells, and Permitted Locations 5-8-2021
spreadsheet
https://app.box.com/s/i7w2tm3tlp4fqmoe3pzelyjx5gbjj2lk/file/822028790742
Digital and/or Hardcopy
20210508
publication date
FracTracker, 2021
Texas oil and gas well API numbers and corresponding coordinates
Geological Survey of Alabama
202102
State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama Administrative Code
publication
https://www.gsa.alabama.gov/Scripts/OGB/rules/goldbook.pdf
Digital and/or Hardcopy
202102
publication date
Geological Survey of Alabama, 2021
Alabama abandoned oil and gas well definition
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
2022
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Oilfield Site Restoration Program Webpage
publication
http://www.dnr.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?md=pagebuilder&tmp=home&pid=155
Digital and/or Hardcopy
2022
publication date
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, 2022b
Louisiana orphan oil and gas well definition
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
2022
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Orphan Well Program Overview Webpage
publication
https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/oil-gas-and-minerals/oil-and-gas/orphan-well-program-overview
Digital and/or Hardcopy
2022
publication date
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, 2022b
Michigan orphan oil and gas well definition
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
2022
Indiana Department of Natural Resources Orphaned & Abandoned Well Program
publication
https://www.in.gov/dnr/oil-and-gas/files/og-abandoned_oil_wells_program.pdf#:~:text=Indiana%20law%20requires%20a%20well%20to%20be%20plugged,a%20suitable%20condition.%20What%20is%20an%20orphaned%20well%3F
Digital and/or Hardcopy
2022
publication date
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Indiana orphan and abandoned oil and gas well definition
Gagnon, G.
Look, K.
2008
Kansas Geological Survey LEO 7.0 Location Conversion Software
7.0
application/service
https://www.kgs.ku.edu/software/LEO/
Digital and/or Hardcopy
2008
publication date
Gagnon and Look, 2008
Location conversion software
Bureau of Land Management, Department of Interior
2021
Bureau of Land Management Township Decoder GetLatLon
application/service
https://gis.blm.gov/arcgis/rest/services/Cadastral/BLM_Natl_PLSS_CadNSDI/MapServer/exts/CadastralSpecialServices/GetLatLon
Digital and/or Hardcopy
2021
publication date
Bureau of Land Management, 2021
Public Land Survey System location coordinate conversion
Environmental Defense Fund
2021
Documenting orphan wells across the United States
publication
https://www.edf.org/orphanwellmap
Digital and/or Hardcopy
publication date
Environmental Defense Fund, 2021
Methodology
Step 1: Requesting data from each state. This was done by visiting state websites and downloading available relevant data or by direct data requests via email or phone call.
20210201
Step 2: Formatting the collected data into a standard format. State data were put into a standard national dataset format that included API number (or other identifying number), state, county, well name and number, well type and status, location coordinates, and additional notes. State specific notes are included below.
Alabama: Searched well data filtered by the term AB (abandoned) and downloaded results (Alabama Oil and Gas Board, 2022). Well status definitions from Geological Survey of Alabama website hosting State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama Administrative Code (2021) pdf.
Alaska: Received data and definitions from Alaska Oil and Gas Compact Commission (2021) staff.
Arkansas: Downloaded shapefile from Arkansas GIS Office (2021). Converted shapefile attribute table into excel spreadsheet. Filtered spreadsheet by well status "Abandoned Orphan".
California: Appendix 5 data on deserted and probably deserted wells from the Idle Wells Report, (California Geologic Energy Management Division, 2019) was merged with declared orphans from appendix 6, and the data table from an "All Wells" shapefile (CalGEM GIS Mapping, 2021) using API numbers to make the join in database software. Daily updated "All Wells" data table provided the coordinates needed to be appended to the appendix 5 and 6 records.
Colorado: The most recent Colorado orphan wells list was downloaded (Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, 2019). The shapefile was joined with a daily updated well spots file (Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, 2022) to add latitude and longitude coordinates to the orphan wells. 409 of the 422 orphans matched the active wells list. The 13 missing wells do not appear via location ID or coordinates at the location of any well in the current wells list and were therefore excluded.
Illinois: Submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) data request to staff at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Received data file from Illinois Department of Natural Resources (2022).
Indiana: Filtered well information from Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IN DNR) (2022) by "Orphan Abandoned wells" and downloaded results. Definitions from IN DNR Orphaned & Abandoned Well Program webpage (2022). Data included no API numbers or coordinates, only public land survey system (PLSS) information and Indiana Geological Survey (IGS) identification numbers. IGS staff provided coordinates following direct request. Two wells without location coordinates were removed.
Kansas: Kansas Conservation Commission staff provided a spreadsheet of orphan wells (Kansas Conservation Commission, 2022). Data did not include location coordinates but did have public land survey system (PLSS) data.
Kentucky: Downloaded Orphan Well List from Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet (2021) website. Contacted Kentucky Geological Survey staff and received data in latitude and longitude converted from Carter coordinates (specific coordinate system used in Kentucky). 68 wells missing API numbers were provided with a unique USGS ID.
Louisiana: Filtered well results on Louisiana SONRIS Data Portal on LA DNR (Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, 2022a) website by well status “ACT 404 ORPHAN WELL-ENG" and “ACT 404 ORPHAN WELL-INJ", downloaded CSV results. Well status definitions from LA DNR (2022b) website.
Michigan: Filtered well search status by "orphan" on Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (MI DEGLE) (2022a) website’s Oil, Gas, & Minerals Division Data Explorer, and downloaded results. Orphan well status definition from MI DEGLE orphan well program webpage (2022b).
Mississippi: Filtered by the terms “O” (orphaned) and “PO” (potentially orphaned) well status on Mississippi State Oil and Gas Board (2022) website and downloaded excel files results.
Missouri: Downloaded CSV of all oil and gas wells from Missouri Department of Natural Resources (2020) website. Filtered spreadsheet by "orphan", "abandoned", "abandoned no evidence", "abandoned known location", and "abandoned unknown location" well statuses and combined resulting data.
Montana: Searched by “API begins with 25” in the Orphan Wells tab on the Montana Bureau of Oil and Gas Conservation (2021) website, downloaded data.
Nebraska: Downloaded "Nebraska Wells GIS Shapefile" from the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (NE OGCC) (2021) website. Converted shapefile attribute table to excel spreadsheet, filtered excel spreadsheet by "AB" (abandoned) and "SI" (shut in) well statuses. Shut In wells were included at the direction of NE OGCC staff as recategorization of SI wells into OR (orphan) or AB is currently in progress.
Nevada: Downloaded excel spreadsheet from Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (2020) Oil and Gas Well Search page. Filtered spreadsheet by "AB" (abandoned) well status.
New Mexico: New Mexico Oil Conservation Division (2022) staff provided a dataset of confirmed orphan wells. No data manipulation required.
New York: Filtered well search by "Well Status Unknown" following the method by Environmental Defense Fund (2021) on New York Department of Environmental Conservation (2022) Oil & Gas Wells Data Search website and downloaded spreadsheet. Filtered search by well status “Unknown”, “Unknown Located”, and “Unknown Not Located”, and downloaded spreadsheets. Merged all data together and removed 184 wells without coordinates.
North Dakota: Downloaded "All Wells" shapefile from North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources (2022) Oil and Gas ArcIMS Viewer webpage. Converted shapefile attribute table into excel spreadsheet, filtered by "abandoned" well status. Abandoned well status definition from ND Oil & Gas Division.
Ohio: Data, as well as additional updates, provided following request to Ohio Department of Natural Resources (OH DNR) (2022). In addition to the wells already with "OR" (orphan) or "OP" (orphan pending) status, OH DNR staff conducted a records and data card review for wells with historical production, but unclear statuses, that should be included.
Oklahoma: Downloaded "Orphan Well List" spreadsheet from Oklahoma Conservation Commission (2021) Oil and Gas Conservation Division website.
Pennsylvania: Received orphan well data from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (2022) staff. Removed 7,749 wells that did not have coordinates.
Tennessee: Received "forfeited" well data from Tennessee Department of Energy and Conservation staff. Converted NAD27 to NAD83 coordinates.
Texas: Downloaded spreadsheet of "Orphan Well with Delinquent P-5 Greater Than 12 Months" data from Texas Railroad Compact Commission (2021) website. Merged 7,846 orphan wells with no location coordinates by API to larger all Texas wells dataset from FracTracker (2021). In total 5,855 wells were retrieved with locations.
Utah: Downloaded “Well Data” file from Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining (2021), filtered operator by “Orphan-No Responsible Operator”. Well status definition from File Description link on data webpage.
West Virginia: Data downloaded from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (2021) Oil & Gas Wells website filtered by well status “Abandoned” and operator “Operator Unknown” and “Unknown”. Removed 899 wells with latitude and longitude in Virginia. Removed 60 wells with duplicate API numbers and coordinates. Removed 20 wells with the well name "no such name" that also had repeated coordinates. Removed 18 wells with the well name “NEVER ISSUED” that had repeated coordinates. Removed 1 well named “NO PERMIT ISSUED” that had repeated coordinates. 285 wells with repeated locations did not have enough evidence for removal; they have been left in the dataset and are flagged in the notes.
Wyoming: Filtered well class by any term including "orphaned" on Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (2022) Orphan Well webpage. Downloaded data and filtered out "Subsequent Report of Abandonment" and "Permanently Abandoned" in Well Status column.
20210215
Step 3: Data processing beyond reformatting and curation. This step was required to obtain coordinate locations in two states, Kansas and Montana. No other states required processing beyond reformatting and well removal.
Kansas: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) formatted the public land survey system (PLSS) location information and staff at the Kansas Geological Survey generated coordinate locations using the Leo 7.0 program (Gagnon and Look, 2008).
Montana: Utilized Bureau of Land Management tool (Bureau of Land Management, 2021) to convert public land survey system (PLSS) location coordinates into latitude and longitude coordinates for all wells.
20220401
Step 4: Quality control check on the preliminary dataset. General location checks, data formatting, value range checks, and other quality assurance and control checks were performed. Inconsequential data variation from source to source, such as capitalization, numerical digits reported, and well name / well number separation, were not reformated in order to keep the data in a state as close as possible to that of the original source.
20220501
Vector
Entity point
117671
0.0197133854
0.0291834768
Decimal seconds
North_American_Datum_1983
GRS 1980
6378137.0
298.257222101
US_Orphaned_Wells.csv
United States documented unplugged orphaned oil and gas well data with well identification, status and location attributes.
Producer Defined
API
Unique, permanent, numeric identifier assigned to each well drilled for oil and gas in the United States. Format was established by the American Petroleum Institute (API). A 14 digit API is used here with the prefix of "API:". When API numbers were not provided, other identifiers were used. For Indiana, the state provided ID with a prefix of "IGSID:" was used. For all wells in Kansas a USGS provided identifier with the prefix of "USGSID:KS" followed by 4 digits was used. For a subset of wells in Illinois (334 wells), Louisiana (242 wells), and Kentucky (68 wells) a USGS provided identifier with the prefix of "USGSID:IL(LA or KY)" followed by 4 digits was used.
American Petroleum Institute
10- or 14-digit numeric value assigned by API to each well .
State
First order division of a nation, including states and state equivalents.
National Atlas of the United States
U.S. State Names
USGS Common Geographic Areas: https://apps.usgs.gov/thesaurus/cga/
County
An administrative division of a U.S. state.
Producer Defined
U.S. County Names
USGS Common Geographic Areas: https://apps.usgs.gov/thesaurus/cga/
Well name
A name for an oil or gas well that typically includes the operator name and or lease name.
Producer Defined
The well name as provided by the data source.
Well number
A number included with well name, typically corresponds to order in which the wells were permitted on each lease owned by an operator.
Producer Defined
The well number as provided by the data source.
Type
What the well was drilled for, i.e. oil, gas, injection, or production.
Producer Defined
The well type as provided by the original state data source listed in the source metadata. Please refer to the source material for state specific attribute definitions.
Status
The status of the well as determined by the managing agency.
Producer Defined
The well status as provided by the original state data source listed in the source metadata. Please refer to the source material for state specific attribute definitions.
Latitude
State provided latitude of the well.
Producer Defined
26.1131
69.5414
Degrees
Longitude
State provided longitude of well.
Producer Defined
-156.3187
-73.4567
Degrees
Principal meridian
A meridian used for survey control in a large region. In this case, for the Public Land Survey System (PLSS).
Producer Defined
The PLSS principal meridian as provided by the data source.
Township
Numerical township of the well in the Public Land Survey System (PLSS).
Producer Defined
The PLSS township as provided by the data source.
T dir
Township direction, either North or South.
Producer Defined
The PLSS township direction as provided by the data source.
Range
Numerical range of the well in the Public Land Survey System (PLSS).
Producer Defined
The PLSS range as provided by the data source.
R dir
Range direction, either East or West
Producer Defined
The PLSS range direction as provided by the data source.
Section
Section number 1-36 of a specific township and range the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). Each section is 1 square mile. In some cases, Louisiana wells include values that are not PLSS section numbers in this attribute column.
Producer Defined
For all states except for Louisiana, section data will range from 1 to 36. In Louisiana, most section data will range from 1 to 36, but some wells have values ranging from 0 to 122, these are not PLSS sections they are a different format of marking locations.
Qtr
¼ square mile within a section indicated using cardinal direction references (NE, SE, SW, NW, and others). ½ square miles are also used (N2, E2, S2, W2).
Producer Defined
The section quarter as provided by the data source.
Qtr_qtr
1/16 square mile within a section.
Producer Defined
The section quarter quarter as provided by the data source.
Qtr_qtr_qtr
1/64 square mile within a section.
Producer Defined
The section quarter quarter quarter as provided by the data source.
Source
Source where the data was received from.
Producer Defined
Source name.
Data file date
The date the data was last updated by the source.
Producer Defined
7/1/2019
12/10/2022
Well info notes
Additional well information notes.
Producer Defined
Additional well information notes as provided by the data source or the USGS.
Location notes
Additional well location notes.
Producer Defined
Additional well location notes as provided by the data source or the USGS.
Other notes
Additional notes that did not fit into any other category.
Producer Defined
Additional notes from the source or USGS that did not fit into any other category.
GS ScienceBase
U.S. Geological Survey
mailing address
Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
Denver
CO
80225
United States
1-888-275-8747
sciencebase@usgs.gov
Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
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 for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
Digital Data
https://doi.org/10.5066/P91PJETI
None
The file contains data available in comma separated value (.csv) file format. The user must have software capable of opening and viewing a .csv file.
20220209
Matthew D. Merrill
U.S. Geological Survey, Northeast Region: Geology, Energy & Minerals SC
Supervisory Research Geologist
mailing address
Mail Stop 954, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr
Reston
VA
20192
US
703-648-6457
703-648-6404
mmerrill@usgs.gov
FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
FGDC-STD-001-1998