The Ohio Department of Natural Resources through Ohio laws agency regulations and
on-site inspections strives to ensure that all drilling operations are safe for
both Ohioans and the environment
ODNR oversees all facets of each drilling operation in Ohio from its
inception to its conclusion
Oversight begins with the permitting and construction of a well site and
continues through drilling and closure of the well
ODNR inspectors are on-site to ensure that well site construction is
completed in accordance with Ohio's stringent laws and regulations
Once the operator has met the required permitting and site construction rules and
regulations
drilling can begin
An ODNR inspector is on site to witness the start of the
drilling process
Ohio leads the country in inspector notification requirements
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources must be notified before every critical
phase of the well construction process including the setting and cementing of
each casing string
Steel pipe casings are inserted to protect the groundwater and isolate the
oil and gas resources
Proper well construction and cementing of the casings is essential to the
protection of Ohio's groundwater and this is why ODNR
inspectors place the highest priority on being present during these processes
Ohio is one of the first states to mandate cemented intermediate casing in
every horizontal shale gas well
This means that every shale well in Ohio will have a minimum of four cemented
casing strings
The metal casings isolate the ground water from the oil and gas resources
that will be produced by the well
The layers of cement serve a dual purpose in that they both secure the
casings and prevent gas from leaking to the surface
Ohio leads the nation in the distance required below the underground source of
drinking water that surface casings can be set
If at any point during the well construction process the inspector
believes the casings may not adequately protect the groundwater aquifer
Ohio is one of the only states which can require the well operator to
immediately plug the well
Once inspectors determine that the casings have been properly set to
protect the groundwater aquifers,
drilling can continue
The completed well will be drilled up to one and a half miles below the grounds
surface
This distance is equal to nearly five and a half empire state buildings
stacked on top of one another
At this point in the drilling process
numerous layers and thousands of feet of impermeable rock separate the freshwater
aquifers and grounds surface
from the end of the well bore
Perforation of the well can now begin
A perforating device lowered into the wellbore and an electric charge is sent
down the line
creating small holes in the casing, cement
and targeted rock layer. This process can be repeated multiple times along the
length of the well
Once the perforation process is complete hydraulic fracturing of the well can
begin. Hydraulic fracturing fluid is injected into the borehole
creating fractures in the targeted shell formation
These cracks act as a pathway for the gas to enter the casing and flow back to
surface
Horizontally fractured well pads can be used for multiple wells
This means they leave a much smaller footprint on the natural environment
than traditional vertical wells
Once the wells are drilled the rig will be replaced by small well heads which
will remain while the well is productive
Once the well is no longer in production the operator must apply to have the well
plugged
ODNR regulations require the owner of the well to restore the location to a
natural state
All structures and storage units must be removed
ODNR's mission is and will remain - to ensure a balance between the wise use
and protection of our natural resources
for the benefit of all