In recent years, Schuyler Wight, a fourth-generation West Texas rancher, has witnessed a troubling phenomenon on his land: abandoned oil wells are coming back to life, gushing fluids onto the surface of his West Texas ranch. Last week, he encountered the most significant eruption yet.
A Growing Problem
Gassy water was observed gushing from the ground, flowing down a quarter mile of roadway before draining into a pasture in a remote corner of Wight’s land. "It’s by far flowing more than any other,” Wight said. “It’s getting worse, there's no question about that.” This event is the latest in a series of mysterious water eruptions in the arid Permian Basin, the nation’s top-producing oil field, which regulators have yet to explain.
In the previous year, a similar incident occurred on Wight’s cousin’s ranch, where an eruption of salty water swamped several acres, necessitating a multi-million-dollar cleanup. In 2022, a geyser shot up from a well in Crane County, followed by another on the Antina Cattle Ranch. Nearby, a large pond of gassy groundwater has become a permanent feature known as Boehmer Lake.
Regulatory Challenges
The Texas Railroad Commission, responsible for regulating oilfields, has not yet provided an explanation for these incidents. After a significant cleanup effort in January, the agency stated it was “continuing to investigate” the cause but did not respond to recent queries.
A Rancher's Perspective
Wight has observed this issue intensify over the years. The commission has plugged around ten old wells leaking onto his property, but new leaks continue to emerge. “Words can’t describe how far behind they are and how bad they are doing at this,” he said. “There’s going to be more of this, not just in Pecos County. You’re going to see it all over the place.”
The Underlying Cause
Leaky old wells are not uncommon in West Texas, where many were drilled during World War II. Decades underground can severely damage the steel and concrete casings. Additionally, many of these wells were flooded with water to extract the remaining oil, creating potential pressure sources.
The mystery in the Permian Basin is the force pushing large volumes of water to the surface. “There’s a source of pressure there and it’s shallow,” said Hawk Dunlap, an oilfield firefighter who recently surveyed the blowout for Wight. Dunlap has worked in oilfield emergencies across 102 countries and has seen water dribbling from old wells but never in the quantities observed in West Texas.
Potential Causes
One possible cause is the injection of fracking wastewater. West Texas oil producers dispose of millions of gallons of produced water, containing chemical lubricants and hazardous compounds such as arsenic, bromide, strontium, mercury, barium, and organic compounds, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes. This water is often injected into old oil and gas wells for disposal.
In theory, this produced water should remain confined within these wells and rock formations. However, the geological science is imprecise, and if the water escapes, it could alter underground pressure dynamics. Dunlap suggests that various factors, including gas and interactions between freshwater and saltwater, could contribute to the pressure buildup. Produced water can be five to eight times saltier than ocean water, adding to the complexity.
Expert Insights
Environmental consultant and geoscientist Dominic DiGiulio notes the significant increase in produced water disposal over the past decade. “That pressure has to go somewhere. So if there’s a well penetration, then it’s going to move freely up that well penetration.”
Dwayne Purvis, founder of Purvis Energy Advisors, explains that old oil wells typically leak gas due to its buoyancy. Leaking water, though less common, can occur under specific conditions. Examples include California’s steam injection for oil recovery and Pennsylvania’s coal mines' water flows through abandoned wells.
Conclusion
The crisis of water bursting from abandoned oil wells in West Texas is a growing environmental and economic concern. On Wight’s ranch, the latest blowout continues to flow, with moderately salty water seeping into the land. “The salt poisons the ground, and nothing will grow after that,” Wight lamented. “There’s not a lot you can do to remediate salt contamination.”
Addressing this issue requires a concerted effort from regulatory bodies, industry experts, and the community to find effective solutions and mitigate the long-term impacts on the environment and public health. As the situation in the Permian Basin illustrates, the legacy of oil extraction continues to pose challenges that must be urgently addressed.