Orphaned Wells and FracFocus Disclosures in the Energy Pack

Two Energy layers tell you about wells that may leave a mark on a tract after the drilling is done. USGS orphaned wells flags unplugged wells with no responsible operator, the kind of liability a buyer or lender wants to know about before closing. FracFocus disclosures shows where and when wells nearby were hydraulically fractured, and how much water each job used. Both are part of the Energy pack.

USGS orphaned wells

What it is

The USGS inventory of documented orphaned oil and gas wells, compiled from state records across the country. In the app it appears as Orphaned Wells on the map and as Orphaned wells (USGS DOW) on the parcel report.

On the map

Open the Layers panel, expand Federal & cross-state and turn on Orphaned Wells. Each well is a copper point. Click one for its popup: well name or ID, operator of record, API number, status, spud date, the year it was abandoned and the county.

In search

Turn on USGS orphaned wells under Search settings and search by API number, well name or operator. This is the fastest way to check whether a well named in a lease or a deed is on the orphaned list.

On the parcel report

The Orphaned wells (USGS DOW) card on the Energy tab lists the orphaned wells in the section, with ID, operator and status. Click the pin on a row to zoom the map to the well. The flag row at the top of the tab reads No orphan wells or gives the count.

When you hold Energy and Federal Land, the Combined Parcel Report PDF can call out an orphaned well that falls inside mapped critical habitat on the cover page.

How to read it

An orphaned well on or near a tract is a question to answer, not a verdict:

• Status at the time of the inventory. A well may have been plugged under a state program after the record was compiled. Check the state regulator's file for the current status.
• Operator of record. The operator named is the last one on file, which is often a company that no longer exists.
• Location as recorded. Older wells can carry approximate coordinates. A well just outside the section line may in fact sit inside it, or the reverse.

See the orphaned wells layer page for coverage by state.

FracFocus disclosures

What it is

FracFocus is the national registry where operators disclose the chemicals and water used in hydraulic fracturing jobs. Township America maps the disclosures as points at the well. Whenever the layer is on, the map shows the credit Data: FracFocus.org.

On the map

Under Federal & cross-state, turn on FracFocus Disclosures. Point size follows job size, from small to mega. Click a disclosure for its popup: well name, operator, API number, state, county, job start and end dates, total water in gallons, job number and, where available, a View disclosure link to the FracFocus record.

In search

Turn on FracFocus disclosures under Search settings and search by API number, well name or operator.

On the parcel report

The FracFocus disclosures · 1 mi buffer card on the Energy tab lists disclosures within one mile of the center of the section, newest job first. Each row shows the well, operator, job start date, total water in gallons and the distance in miles. The first six show, with a count of the rest.

Read it as completion activity: which wells nearby were fractured recently, by whom, and how water-intensive the jobs were. The FracFocus layer page describes the dataset in more detail.

Worked example

A buyer is looking at grazing land in Section 9, Township 25 North, Range 1 East, Indian Meridian, in Kay County, Oklahoma, in an area with a long drilling history.

1. Search 9 25N 1E Indian Meridian and click Report. Open Energy.
2. The flag row and the Orphaned wells (USGS DOW) card show whether USGS lists an orphaned well in the section. The buyer notes each API number.
3. On the map, the buyer turns on Orphaned Wells to see any just outside the section line.
4. FracFocus disclosures · 1 mi buffer shows whether there has been recent completion work nearby.
5. Each orphaned well's API number goes to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission for its current status and any plugging record.

The buyer now has a short list of wells to raise with the seller and the state before closing.

Limits

• Documented wells only. The USGS inventory lists wells a state has documented as orphaned. Undocumented wells are, by definition, not in it.
• FracFocus is self-reported. Operators file the disclosures, and older jobs may be missing. Check the FracFocus record for the full chemical list.
• Buffer is from the section center. The one-mile FracFocus search measures from the center of the section, so a large or irregular section can leave edge wells outside it.
• Not an environmental assessment. These layers screen for questions to ask. They are not a Phase 1 ESA, a plugging liability estimate or a survey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does an orphaned well on my tract mean I am liable for it?

Not by itself. Plugging responsibility is set by state law and the facts of the well. Use the record to ask the state regulator and your attorney.

Why does a well show in FracFocus but not in the state well list?

FracFocus is a separate registry with its own coverage. The state well lists cover Colorado, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Wyoming and New Mexico, while FracFocus is national.

Can I see the chemicals used in a frac job?

Follow the View disclosure link in the popup, when present, to the full record on FracFocus.

Is the orphaned wells layer the same in the Energy and Federal Land packs?

Both read the same USGS inventory. Energy adds the map layer and search source; Federal Land includes it in the section screen.