These well locations were derived from historical mine maps known as the WPA, Ksheet, and Hsheet collections. These locations are provided for informational purposes only and should not be sole means of decision making and are in no way a substitute for actual on the ground observation. In 1859, the United States’ first commercial oil well was drilled in Venango County, Pennsylvania. In the 150 years subsequent to this, an unknown number of oil and gas wells have been drilled in the state. A current estimate by the Independent Petroleum Association of America places that number at approximately 325,000. Of those 325,000 wells, over 200,000 are still unaccounted for. As these wells are found and verified, they are cataloged in the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Abandoned and Orphan Well database to facilitate plugging. There are currently over 8,200 wells listed in this database (2013). With so many unknown oil and gas wells scattered across Pennsylvania and the environmental threats that they pose, identification remains a vital component of DEP’s Oil and Gas Program. Currently, the DEP, Office of Active and Abandoned Mine Operations is involved in many projects dealing with historic and active mine map restoration and geo-referencing. These maps, which vary in age, not only contain information on historic mine locations, but also oil and gas locations. Through collaboration between the Bureau of Mining Programs and the Bureau of Oil and Gas Planning and Program Management, potential oil and gas well locations were assembled using three mine map collections. These collections include the WPA mine map collection, Ksheets collection, and the Hsheets collection. From these sources, over 30,000 potential historic oil and gas well locations were derived. The Bureau of Oil and Gas Planning and Program Management is constantly looking for historic sources to help locate oil and gas wells in the state that remain unaccounted for. This particular dataset was created using georeferenced mine maps of various/unknown accuracy and various/unknown coordinate systems to various base maps, including but not limited to USGS topographic maps and PAMAP aerial photography. The locations were then digitized using the georeferenced mine maps. These locations are provided for informational purposes only and should not be sole means of decision making and are in no way a substitute for actual field observations.

An Oil and Gas Location is a DEP primary facility type related to the Oil & Gas Program. The sub-facility types related to Oil and Gas that are included in this layer are:_ Land Application -- An area where drilling cuttings or waste are disposed by land application Well-- A well associated with oil and/or gas production Pit -- An approved pit that is used for storage of oil and gas well fluids . Some sub facility types are not included in this layer due to security policies.

An Oil and Gas Location is a DEP primary facility type related to the Oil & Gas Program. The sub-facility types related to Oil and Gas that are included in this layer are:_ Land Application -- An area where drilling cuttings or waste are disposed by land application Well-- A well associated with oil and/or gas production Pit -- An approved pit that is used for storage of oil and gas well fluids . Some sub facility types are not included in this layer due to security policies.

The following data set contains all the Oil & Gas Wells in Pennsylvania that the Dept of Environmental Protection has locational information on. The wells are broken into two formation types of conventional and unconventional wells. A conventional well is a bore hole drilled or being drilled for the purpose of or to be used for the production of oil or natural gas from only conventional formation(s). A conventional formation is any formation that does not meet the statutory definition of an unconventional formation. An unconventional gas well is a bore hole drilled or being drilled for the purpose of or to be used for the production of natural gas from an unconventional formation. Unconventional formation is a geological shale formation existing below the base of the Elk Sandstone or its geologic equivalent stratigraphic interval where natural gas generally cannot be produced at economic flow rates or in economic volumes except by vertical or horizontal well bores stimulated by hydraulic fracture treatments or by using multilateral well bores or other techniques to expose more of the formation to the well bore.

An Erosion and Sediment Control Facility is a DEP primary facility type related to the Water Pollution Control program. Any of the following development activities that may discharge stormwater during construction fall under the erosion and sediment control permit category. The following is a list of sub-facility types related to Erosion and Sediment Control Facilities that are included in eMapPA: Agricultural ActivitiesCommercial or Industrial DevelopmentGovernment FacilitiesOil and Gas DevelopmentPrivate Road or ResidencePublic Road ConstructionRecreational ActivitiesRemediation/RestorationResidential SubdivisionSewerage or Water SystemsSilviculture Utility Facility / Transmission Line

DEP's Regional Offices are responsible for implementing department programs through permitting, inspection, enforcement, and other field services for environmental and public health protection; program and technical support to Pennsylvania's 66 conservation districts; and compliance assistance to our regulated community. In addition, staff in the regional offices provide assistance to the public in the form of emergency response, disaster recovery, pollution prevention, and energy assistance and complaint response.The regional offices directly implement the Air Quality, Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields, Radiation Protection, Waste Management, Watershed Conservation and Restoration, Clean Water, Waterways and Wetlands, and Safe Drinking Water Programs. Each regional field office is structured in the same manner to consistently implement these programs and services statewide. Additionally, the regional offices provide support services to the Active and Abandoned Mining Operations and Oil and Gas Management programs. In 2019, DEP launched the Regional Permit Coordination Office (RPCO). This move addressed a need to establish a centralized entity to provide Chapter 102/105 permitting functions for certain large and complex projects and to provide statewide technical support and coordination. Visit the RPCO website for more details.https://www.dep.pa.gov/About/Regional/Pages/default.aspx

The Environmental Good Samaritan Act protects landowners, groups, and individuals who volunteer to undertake certain types of reclamation projects from civil and environmental liability. Land reclamation projects covered under the Act are those that restore mineral extraction lands that have been abandoned or not completely reclaimed. Typical conditions that are suitable for land reclamation projects include entrances, refuse piles, dangerous highwalls, and unplugged oil and gas wells. Water pollution abatement projects covered under the Act are those that treat or stop water pollution caused by abandoned mines or oil and gas wells. This dataset identifies the locations of reclamation projects that were proposed to and approved by DEP in order to become eligible for protections under the Environmental Good Samaritan Act.