From the Associated Press In the arid regions of West Texas, old wells often release water that seeps and bubbles to the surface, sometimes carrying pollutants such as oil, brackish water, and other contaminants. However, the true threat lurks underground, where oil, salt, and toxic minerals have the potential to infiltrate the aquifers that provide water to nearby cities, farms, and ranches.The leaky wells known as "P-13 wells" are named after a Railroad Commission form. These wells originated from oil exploration that began nearly a century ago, when wildcatters drilled thousands of holes across Texas in search of black gold over the past 150 years. When wells proved unproductive or dry, companies often transferred ownership to landowners who repurposed them as water wells. Today, the state has officially recorded 1,915 P-13 wells, but many more likely exist in an undocumented and deteriorating state.
Over time, some abandoned oil and gas wells have transformed into environmental hazards. In Pecos County, a 60-acre lake called Lake Boehmer formed over 20 years ago when an abandoned well began releasing large volumes of salty brine water to the surface. The lake continues to leak, emitting toxic hydrogen sulfide gas and accumulating heavy metals like arsenic. To address this growing problem, in 2023 Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 4256, which created the Leaking Water Wells Grant Program under the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and allocated $10 million to help plug leaking water wells in eligible rural counties.
Two years after the initial funding, the TCEQ's rule-making process remains unfinished, delaying the distribution of the $10 million allocated for well plugging. Public comments on the program are open until February 4th, but critics argue this amount is insufficient compared to the scale of the problem. Plugging a single well can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, with extreme cases like Lake Boehmer reaching millions.
Hawk Dunlap, a well control specialist with decades of experience, explains that sealing P-13 wells is far more complex than simply filling them with concrete. "There is not going to be an easy fix," he said. "Each well is going to be very specific in how it's addressed and, in my professional opinion, it's gonna be almost like flying blind."
The cost of properly plugging an oil or gas well can vary widely, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). This cost is influenced by numerous factors, such as the well's depth and the local hydrogeology. "We do not know the precise cost to plug each individual well, so we cannot determine how many wells could be addressed under this program," explained Ricky Richter, a TCEQ spokesperson.
Texas has thousands of "orphan" oil and gas wells that need to be plugged. The Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state's oil and gas industry, defines these as wells that have been inactive for at least 12 months and have no identifiable owner. The agency uses federal funds to plug some of these wells, but it excludes certain "P-13" wells from this process, as they are no longer classified as active oil wells. This stance has led to lawsuits, legislative debates, and frustration among local officials and environmental groups.
The Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District has repeatedly asked the Railroad Commission (RRC) to include 40 wells, some classified as P-13 wells, on the list of orphan wells eligible for plugging with federal funds, but the RRC has denied these requests. "I mean, nobody cares about West Texas. It's just heartbreaking," said Ty Edwards, the district's manager. "(Landowners) cannot use any (federal) funds to plug the well unless it's on that (Railroad Commission) list. They also can't apply for federal funds unless it's on the list."
Virginia Palacios, executive director of the watchdog group Commission Shift, argues the RRC is sidestepping its responsibility to plug the Lake Boehmer well and other P-13 wells. "It's crazy, because these are some of the most intense contamination situations that we have in the state right now, and they're just choosing not to make it their problem," she said.
The RRC spokesperson, R.J. DeSilva, stated the Boehmer well has been out of their jurisdiction since 1951 and is not the agency's responsibility, unlike oil and gas wells they have plugged in the region. He added that state law clearly states the RRC does not have authority over water wells like the ones that caused Lake Boehmer.
The groundwater conservation district has filed a complaint against the RRC, claiming wells drilled for oil and gas should be plugged by the commission, even if later converted to water wells. Meanwhile, the district is turning to the TCEQ program to get the wells plugged, but Ty Edwards worries the money will be exhausted quickly and only cover a small number of wells.
Virginia Palacios says Texas needs a long-term strategy, as "we don't have an ongoing plan for how to deal with P-13 wells. We don't have an ongoing plan for how to deal with orphaned wells in the state." Adam Peltz of the Environmental Defense Fund adds that plugging a leaking well is just the beginning, as "it's not just the plugging. It's the remediation of a land that's been contaminated. That's so important and so expensive. It's not done if you plug it," and delaying will make the problem more costly to solve.
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