At the request of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), EPA conducted a site assessment of leaking oil wells in the Town of Alma, Allegany County, New York. Oil wells were initially observed actively leaking on the property by the South Branch of Ford Brook, a tributary of the Genesee River, where there was a potential for the crude oil to be released into the Genesee River, a navigable waterway of the United States.
These crude oil production wells and water injection wells were operated up through the early 1950s, and have subsequently been abandoned. This type of well is known as an orphan well.
A deed and title search for the identification of a viable responsible party indicated that the mineral rights ownership were transferred to B.C.R. Development, Inc.. There were limited state oil and gas database records for these wells.
EPA initiated a project known as the Warfield Oil Lease Site which will involve the permanent plugging of the abandoned and orphaned crude oil production wells. This project is being conducted under the authority of the Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA90). This project is being funded with federal money from the OPA90 Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.
FPN E14204
A number of these wells were also enrolled in EPA's Underground Injection Program and as such some of these will be plugged using money from that program.
