Vermont becomes first state to ban hydraulic fracturing

[Shadowrider]

So around here, anyway, the wells should be deep enough to rule out all contamination.

What about other states, how deep (vertically) are their wells?

I don't work on rig sites, but I do see some of the depths. I run title to the lands and see well reports on producing properties with their depths, formations and horizons and figure out who owns what and how much they own. I've worked in about 8 different states and I can't recall anything shallower than 6500' that was fracked. Usually it's in the 10,000 foot range, but just depends on where it is, what specific formation they are targeting, the elevation at the rig site and about a million other things. It can be considerably deeper than 10K if they want it to be. I've also seen many many many old wells in the 2700'/3200' foot range (Hugoton field) but they weren't fracked. The work I was doing up there was for deep stuff.

Another thing you don't hear much about is how regulated the drilling companies are. They have to report how much concrete they use, provide cementing reports, specify their casing and a myriad of other things. Oh and they have to get permits to drill every single well too. So the .gov isn't squeaky clean if a problem arises like they would have you believe.

 

[dennishoddy]

So is there no pressure in the well bore at 2000'?

How deep were the wells in Montana where the EPA said fracking probably contaminated the water?

They never Proved it happened. Just speculated by some dumb ass that doesn't know how the fracing process works and putting the opinion out there.
Fracing has been going on for many years. Just recently some tree hugging idiot started thinking without any knowledge of the process, and the ignorant media jumped all over it as they are piss ignorant as well.

 

[LightningCrash]

They never Proved it happened. Just speculated by some dumb ass that doesn't know how the fracing process works and putting the opinion out there.
Fracing has been going on for many years. Just recently some tree hugging idiot started thinking without any knowledge of the process, and the ignorant media jumped all over it as they are piss ignorant as well.

Do you know anything about the EPA officials who investigated the water in Montana? What are their qualifications?
Or are you just speculating wildly here?

 

[LightningCrash]

I don't work on rig sites, but I do see some of the depths. I run title to the lands and see well reports on producing properties with their depths, formations and horizons and figure out who owns what and how much they own. I've worked in about 8 different states and I can't recall anything shallower than 6500' that was fracked. Usually it's in the 10,000 foot range, but just depends on where it is, what specific formation they are targeting, the elevation at the rig site and about a million other things. It can be considerably deeper than 10K if they want it to be. I've also seen many many many old wells in the 2700'/3200' foot range (Hugoton field) but they weren't fracked. The work I was doing up there was for deep stuff.

Another thing you don't hear much about is how regulated the drilling companies are. They have to report how much concrete they use, provide cementing reports, specify their casing and a myriad of other things. Oh and they have to get permits to drill every single well too. So the .gov isn't squeaky clean if a problem arises like they would have you believe.

When they create the fissures, extending from the well bore, how long are those?

 

[RickN]

The interesting thing to me is that some of the places where they are saying fracing polluted the water, had water problems before fracing or any other kind of drilling was in the area. In a few cases, you could set the water on fire for hundreds of years.

 

[OkStateMET]

So around here, anyway, the wells should be deep enough to rule out all contamination.

What about other states, how deep (vertically) are their wells?

7-10k ft. Total vertical depth is very common for the mid west. Some parts far western oklahoma and texas run around 10-13k ft and south texas along the mexico boarder has stuff deper than
15k.

Lets give a good example of what really happens.... A well is drilled in the 1950s. and has changed ownership a dozen times since and is no longer producing any oil or gas. The well has been abandon and plugged. Over the last 60 years the corrosive properties of the oil, gas and rock have produce holes in the casing. This has allowed trace amounts of methane to leak into the soil and find its way to a local water supply. Now in 2012 a large energy company has decided to drill a new horizontal well in the same section and utilize the advanced production capabilities of fracking. A few month after the well has been fracked a land owner living in the same section has his well water tested and discovers that there is methane in his water supply. Since everyone knows that all big bad energy companies are out to destory the water supply it must have been the company who drilled the new well who comtaminated the water supply right????

 

[LightningCrash]

7-10k ft. Total vertical depth is very common for the mid west. Some parts far western oklahoma and texas run around 10-13k ft and south texas along the mexico boarder has stuff as deeper than
15k.

Lets give a good example of what really happens.... A well is drilled in the 1950s. and has changed ownership a dozen times since and is no longer producing any oil or gas. The well has been abandon and plugged. Over the last 60 years the corrosive properties of the oil, gas and rock have produce holes in the casing. This has allowed trace amounts of methane to leak into the soil and find its way to a local water supply. Now in 2012 a large energy company has decided to drill a new horizontal well in the same section and utilize the advanced production capabilities of fracking. A few month after the well has been fracked a land owner living in the same section has his well water tested and discovers that there is methane in his water supply. Since everyone knows that all big bad energy companies are out to destory the water supply it must have been the company who drilled the new well who comtaminated the water supply right????

Does the fracking mud ever get pushed back up the abandoned wells? Would that even do anything?

 

[Shadowrider]

7-10k ft. Total vertical depth is very common for the mid west. Some parts far western oklahoma and texas run around 10-13k ft and south texas along the mexico boarder has stuff deper than
15k.

Lets give a good example of what really happens.... A well is drilled in the 1950s. and has changed ownership a dozen times since and is no longer producing any oil or gas. The well has been abandon and plugged. Over the last 60 years the corrosive properties of the oil, gas and rock have produce holes in the casing. This has allowed trace amounts of methane to leak into the soil and find its way to a local water supply. Now in 2012 a large energy company has decided to drill a new horizontal well in the same section and utilize the advanced production capabilities of fracking. A few month after the well has been fracked a land owner living in the same section has his well water tested and discovers that there is methane in his water supply. Since everyone knows that all big bad energy companies are out to destory the water supply it must have been the company who drilled the new well who comtaminated the water supply right????

You forgot the fact that the casing is filled with concrete when plugged.

 

[Shadowrider]

Does the fracking mud ever get pushed back up the abandoned wells? Would that even do anything?

See above.. There's also a steel cap welded on top of the casing.

 

[OkStateMET]

Does the fracking mud ever get pushed back up the abandoned wells? Would that even do anything?

You dont frack with mud, you use mud in the drilling process. When you frack you use 99.9 % water from a farm pond. Most companies have Drilling engineers or Reservoir engineers who calculate interference with near by wells and zones to make sure that kind of thing doesnt happen.