Archive for the ‘abandoned oil wells’ Category

Big South Fork to plug 45 abandoned oil wells

Sunday, February 28th, 2010
WVLT TV is reporting that the National Park Service will plug 45 abandoned oil and gas wells in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. According to officials, the wells need to be plugged and reclaimed in order to protect the environment and habitat of the park.

All 45 abandoned wells dot the backwoods of the park’s 125,000 thousand acres and some of them dated more than a century. Park officials said they were unable to locate the owner of each well, so they’ve taken them over and will use American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to plug the wells and reclaim each site.

The reclamation process involves tearing down above ground structures associated with the well, planting the area with native species and stabilizing access roads.

Established in 1974, the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area protects the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries in the area along the Tennessee and Kentucky border. The area boasts miles of scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs, is rich with natural and historic features, and has roughly 150 miles of hiking trails.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

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