Major Gas Leak Reveals Risks of Aging Gas Storage Wells in Pennsylvania

The 1.4 bcf-leak at the Rager Mountain facility leak will go in Pennsylvania’s record books. It’s being compared to the largest methane leak in U.S. history, which was from a 2016 failure at a natural gas storage well in the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage field. That incident released 4.6 billion cubic feet of methane, forcing thousands to evacuate and causing an array of health impacts for the surrounding community.

In the case of both leaks, the failed wells were old: the George L Reade 1 well was drilled in 1965, and the Aliso Canyon well was drilled in 1954. These older wells were constructed during a time with fewer regulations and more primitive technology, and are more vulnerable to natural degradation forces like corrosion and cement breakdown.

Older storage wells are also more likely to be former conventional oil or gas production wells that were repurposed for storage. That’s the case with the George L Reade 1 well and the Aliso Canyon well. These repurposed wells are not designed for two-way flow, and are more likely to have a single point of failure in their design.

A 2017 study published in Environmental Research Letters by Drew R Michanowicz et al revealed the widespread risk of aging storage wells across the country, and highlighted Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and New York as the states facing the most risk.

Michanowicz et al found 370 repurposed wells in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania also has the most storage fields of any state, while Ohio has the most active storage wells. The map below (Figure 2) from the study illustrates those repurposed wells.