Oil well abandonment

In various regions throughout the United States, including Southern California, oil exploration was prevalent in the previous century, as well as today. Although existing oil wells are essentially the responsibility of the oil companies, some oil fields have long been abandoned by oil exploration companies, along with their history. In such cases developers and/or owners of said properties may be faced with uncertainties and adverse property conditions due to improper abandonment by the oil company based on current abandonment standards. Such adverse conditions may thwart development, create a hazardous situation, and ultimately adversely affect the monetary worth of the property.

Andersen Environmental professionals can perform the following tasks related to oil fields:

• Prepare Construction Site Review Plan (CSRP) for submittal to the Department of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) and manage the site throughout the construction process
• Review oil well closure reports to evaluate abandonment procedures as compared to current guidelines
• Test oil wells for leaks on capped/abandoned wells
• Mitigate effects of prior crude oil releases
• Re-abandon wells to achieve "closure" according to current standards.
• Provide well gas mitigation solutions