Leaking historic gas well in Bonnyville, Alta., being decommissioned due to safety concerns

The Orphan Well Association has begun decommissioning a leaking historic gas well in Bonnyville after methane was found in several homes. 

A drilling rig has been set up in the area of the 4500 block of 46th Avenue of the town about 240 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

"[The well] was decommissioned in 1954 but the standards have changed, and so we've purchased a number of homes. They've been demolished, and we're bringing in a drilling rig to do the repair," association president Lars DePauw told CBC in an interview on Tuesday. 

As part of the process, two single-family homes and one duplex were demolished, DePauw said. 

"Methane obviously has some safety issues regarding to the explosive nature of the gas, and so we wanted to make sure that this was repaired adequately for the long term." 

A well leak was found in 2024 by Apex Utilities workers.

After locating the leak, the wellbore was found and excavated, and a monitoring and mitigation program was put in place to check gas levels regularly.

The association says it monitors methane levels in soil and homes near the well on a weekly basis. 

Mitigation systems have been installed in eight homes to capture any methane and vent it to the atmosphere. 

"When this issue came forward, we moved on it very quickly," DePauw said. 

The decommissioning involved the collaboration between the Alberta Energy Regulator, Apex Utilities, Alberta Health Services, The Town of Bonnyville and its fire department.  

CBC requested further comment from the Town of Bonnyville on the impact of the work on residents, but the town has not yet given a response. 

The well in Bonnyville was drilled by the now defunct licensee Trican Petro-Chemical Corporation in 1954.

Shortly after, Alberta's Energy Regulator declared it to be an orphan well and tasked the association with decommissioning it. 

There are about 470,000 non-producing wells across Canada, most in Alberta but also in B.C. and Ontario. 

According to the association, there are 3,874 wells lined up to be decommissioned in Alberta. 

The rig in Bonnyvillie is expected to be on-site for two to three days to complete the work.

Residents are being asked not to park along 46th Avenue during this time.

Once work is completed, the association says it will monitor to see when methane is no longer detected in the soil near the well. 

Sean Carnahan is mayor of Calmar, Alta., about 50 kilometres south of Edmonton and said the town has dealt with its share of well clean-ups.

Three homes in Calmar were demolished in 2010 after a leaking gas well was discovered in the community.

Imperial Oil, the owner of that well, temporarily sealed it and negotiated with homeowners to buy their houses.

"We have to be patient with one another. We have to recognize that the cleanup is necessary for the future of the community," Carnahan said.