The exploded well in West Texas was sealed 19 days later

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ODESSA – A Houston-based energy company has sealed a bleeding well in West Texas 19 days after it exploded, sending a stream of water and other chemicals dozens of feet into the air.

The Kinder Morgan company said workers are no longer detecting emissions of hydrogen sulfide, a toxic and deadly gas.

The well is five miles west of Toyah, a town of 61 in Reeves County. It is located about 100 miles southwest of Odessa.

The company plans to “permanently plug” the well. “All necessary environmental remediation work will be completed soon thereafter,” Kinder Morgan said in a statement. “An investigation into the cause of the incident is ongoing.”

Kinder Morgan did not previously own the well. The explosion did not affect the company’s daily pipeline operations. The company did not explain why it worked with the state to immediately cap the well.

The Texas Railroad Commission would not confirm who owned the well, which was drilled in 1961 by the El Paso Natural Gas Company. A spokesman for the commission said Kinder Morgan had “managed the inspection well”.

According to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, there are 9,313 unowned wells in Texas. Often referred to as orphan wells, they are prone to leaking or bursting. At least eight have spilled or exploded since last October in the Permian Basin, the state’s largest oil-producing region, according to Sarah Stogner, an oil and gas attorney who has been tracking and documenting the phenomenon for years.

The state defines orphan wells as unconnected wells that have been inactive without an owner for at least 12 months.

Reeves County Emergency Management Coordinator Jerry Bullard said the well was closed Monday morning. Kinder Morgan used a blowout preventer, a device that prevents uncontrolled fluids from escaping the well, Bullard said. He said repairing the surrounding environmental damage would take months. The county has notified residents of nearby Toyah.

The well, more than 11,000 feet deep, burst unexpectedly on October 2nd. Firefighters rushed to the scene after the county received emergency calls but were unable to respond. State inspectors arrived later that afternoon. The deluge continued to rise for almost two weeks. The smell of rotten eggs, an odor associated with hydrogen sulfide, enveloped the city.

More than a week later, Kinder Morgan workers dug pits to contain the excess water. The next step was to truck it away from the site, but where the water went was not immediately clear. The company also claimed that the fluid coming out of the well was so-called produced water, a chemical-laden brine absorbed underground. Produced water is a byproduct of oil production.

At least one resident, Elida Machuca, a former Toyah city council member, said she went to the hospital after the smell made her dizzy. The doctor gave her permission and told her to return if her symptoms worsened. She wore a disposable face mask to sleep.

Diana Tolet, who lives downtown, said she and her husband, Wayne, turned on the air conditioning to dampen the smell.

Machuca and Tolet filed complaints with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state’s environmental agency. An investigator told Machuca that sensors had not detected any contaminants in the air, but the agency was still investigating. According to the authority, an investigation has been closed.

In a statement, TCEQ said that in response to residential complaints, the Midland region conducted air monitoring using handheld devices that provided instant readings on site.

“There were no discoveries,” agency spokeswoman Victoria Cann said. “TCEQ will continue to respond to all complaints received.”

Tolet has not received a response. She said investigators should test air quality at night, when the stench is strongest. TCEQ has not confirmed when air samples were taken.

She and other residents were scheduled to meet at City Hall on Tuesday to learn how to address complaints filed with the TCEQ with the help of Oilfield Witness, an oil and gas monitoring group that tracks gas emissions using optical imaging.

“I want to know what it was, where it was and if we are in danger. Everyone should know that,” Tolet said.

— Alejandra Martinez contributed.