BONNYVILLE - A drilling rig has now been moved onto an abandoned well that was found to be leaking sweet gas, mostly methane, within the Town of Bonnyville last year.
The abandoned well is located in the 4500 block between 45th and 46th Avenue and dates back to the 1950s.
An update from the Town of Bonnyville, released on July 21, stated the drilling rig would be moved into place on July 22. Residents were quick to post images to social media, showing the rig once it was in place.
"The move-in will involve approximately 20 truckloads of equipment. Traffic control measures will be in place along 46 Ave. to support this operation," stated information from the Town of Bonnyville's update.
"To ensure the safe and efficient movement of equipment, residents are kindly asked not to park along 46 Ave. during this time. The rig is expected to be on-site for two to three days to complete the work."
In order to move the rig onto the site and decommission the well, some of nearby homes were recently demolished.
Background
“In June 2024, the well, which was previously decommissioned to the standard of the day, was found to be leaking minor volumes of sweet natural gas (mostly methane). In response, the wellbore was located and excavated, and a monitoring and mitigation program was implemented to regularly check gas levels in the vicinity of the wellbore,” stated the Orphan Well Association (OWA) in a newsletter, published in May of this year.
With the successful purchasing of several surrounding homes, the OWA demolished the buildings about a year after discovering the well was leaking.
“It is anticipated that the rig will need to operate 24 hours per day for two to three days to complete the necessary work," according to the OWA.
The newsletter that OWA sent out on May 29 states that the well was drilled in 1954, and as the company responsible has not been in existence since the 1960s, the Alberta Energy Regulators designated it orphaned and directed the OWA to decommission it.
RELATED STORY - Houses demolished surrounding orphan well in Bonnyville, remediation to begin soon
