Characterizing multifaceted environmental risks of oil and gas well leakage through soil and well methane and hydrogen sulfide emissions

Moreover, we find that 7,264 and 161 OGWs in Ontario and Quebec, respectively, are in urban and built-up areas, with 94% of these wells being abandoned. For the 102 wells we measured, of which 9.7% had H2S detections, we find OGW emission rate ranges of −16 to 47,000 mg CH4/hour and 0.001 to 3,300 mg H2S/hour. Although soil CH4 emissions at a 1-m distance from the wells are most correlated with well emissions, the highest soil emission rate was observed at a 3-m distance, indicating the potential for OGW-related emissions into buildings to occur away from the well.

Overall, our multi-faceted measurement dataset provides a basis for conjunctive analysis of the broad range of environmental risks of OGWs to climate, indoor and outdoor air quality, and explosions. Methane emission rate measurements at wells by measurement date, well mode, and volumetric gas production rate.