It takes a dedicated team, a plan and a lot of big equipment to go out there and permanently plug old wells. Here is the process of how we do it.
Using several sources, the Well Done Foundation (WDF) field team identifies the orphaned well, performs background research and creates a well profile detailing:
The WDF team performs field verifications and generates a detailed orphaned well report to determine if the well qualifies for further analysis. We work with the surface owners for an access agreement to perform further testing for:
The orphaned well is monitored and analyzed for a period. A bond is posted and the orphaned well is adopted from the state. A campaign budget is prepared and a new orphaned well campaign is launched to raise the funds. If applicable, we employ the WDF carbon finance strategy for the plugging, abandonment and surface restoration of the orphaned well.
The WDF team works with the state and local agencies to complete the surface area restoration and develop a long-term site monitoring plan. The orphaned well campaign’s climate offset benefit are calculated based on the WDF-sponsored American Carbon Registry protocol. The offset credits are verified and audited by an independent third-party validation organization.