47-085-09669
This Ritchie county injection well is now plugged. It was converted from a production well and used for commercial injection. This and another injection well (47-085-09909) are elements of a waste facility, part of which is devoted to the recycling of Marcellus flowback for reuse in fracturing other Marcellus wells. The facility's location is off Route 50 close to the primary area for horizontal Marcellus activity in West Virginia. A separate page has links to Google Earth images of the facilty. Besides the two injection wells, the facility has two large pits to store hydraulic fracturing flowback fluid. The documents are arranged in groups with narrative. This waste facility site has been associated with surface and groundwater pollution. Documents associated with 47-085-09909 explain recent ground and surface water monitoring by the Office of Oil and Gas.
Well drilled in 2007. Converted for injection in 2009? Plugged in 2015.
Formation into which waste is injected -- Marcellus shale
Geographic location: latitude 39.289315, longitude -81.012964
Major issues
- Facility with which this and another injection well are associated has been linked to ground and surface water contamination.
- Inadequate MIT and operator reporting on monthly WR-40 forms indicates problems with well's mechanical integrity.
Documents
The well was originally drilled as a Marcellus vertical well by Jay-Bee — 2007 completion report and well permit release.
Operator's letter about recycling facility and Office of Oil and Gas notes
2013 lab tests of fluid, including isotopes
Original 2009 UIC well application
Laboratory analysis of flowback from the Booker #4 horizontal Marcellus well (possibly Booher #4 — 47-017-05693).
Letter from West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey to Office of Oil and Gas about location as UIC well. Concern about pre-1929 well within Area of Review.
2010 Mechanical Integrity Test. Note that the pressure applied to the "backside" (whether tubing or production casing is unknown) was about half of the permited injection pressure of 1995 psi. Normally MITs are performed with pressures to the tubing annulus at one and a half times the maxiumum injection pressure. Reporting on WR-40 forms indicates significant leakage of tubing/packer.
Schematic of well and intended plan of UIC site
Three inspection reports for 2011 and 2012
Three WR-40 forms for 2011 and 2012
2013 Draft modified UIC permit (allowing third party haulers)
A 2o13 collection of FOIA documents and documents contents list. Some of the documents presented above come from this FOIA collection.
Goggle Earth Imagery
The injection well was situated within the fenced compound.
Underground Injection Control Class 2 Wells
Introduction to Class 2 Wells in West Virginia
Collected documents and information for a number of Class 2 disposal wells and secondary recovery area permits
Searchable tables for UIC inspections, UIC permitting and MITs based on a copy of the Office of Oil and Gas' online UIC databases made in 2016.
Background materials related to West Virginia's primacy (including the primacy application), EPA guidance documents, and a lot more.
Select wells which present important issues
A UIC well constructed without any cement behind the steel casing strings to protect groundwater.
A commercial UIC well where activity on the site contaminated groundwater.
A UIC well whose use led to earthquakes in the area.
Gas Well Study is the examination of natural gas wells in West Virginia.
Underground Injection Control Class 2 Wells
These wells are used either for the disposal of oil and gas liquid waste or for the enhanced recovery of oil or natural gas.
Gas Well Study Site Visits
Annual reports, environmental assessments, and individual well information.
YouTube Videos
Select videos from the Gas Well Study YouTube channel.
What Happened at Fernow
An investigation into what caused the vegetation death in the land application area after landspraying hydraulic fracture flowback waste.
The Spill at Buckeye Creek
An investigation into a spill from a Marcellus well site into Buckeye Creek in Doddridge county.
The Details
Plunger Lift Technology on Gas Wells
Fluids Brought to the Surface during Production
Plugging a Well
How To Read a Lab Report
Information the Completion Report Provides
Casing and Cementing