Toole County,
United States of America
Montana State records indicated that the A. Lorenzen #15 was plugged on August 31, 1927, shortly after the rig burned down and the well was reported as abandoned. It wasn’t until 1991 that the State of Montana reported that the A. Lorenzen #15 was indeed un-plugged.
The Landowner, Kathy Gliko and Normont Farms were continually farming around the A. Lorenzen #15 and were mindful of not accidentally hitting the wellhead.
When the Well Done Foundation, a Montana-based 501(c)(3) non-profit, reached out to Kathy in 2021 and presented a plan to adopt the wells, She was all in. Working together with the State of Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation, and farmer Kathy Gliko, the Well Done Foundation formally adopted the A. Lorenzen orphan well in Toole County in August of 2021.
The Well Done Foundation initiated a program to measure methane gas to quantify the emissions and determine the environmental impact. Additionally, fundraising began for the A. Lorenzen project, and finally, in the summer of 2023, the green light was given to plug these orphan wells.
Organizing and scheduling the work began, including hiring local community members to be part of the plugging crew. The A. Lorenzen was plugged on September 6, 2023. The methane emissions were eliminated, and the impacted surface areas have been fully restored. The Well Done Foundation conducts annual ex-post methane monitoring to ensure the integrity of the plug and confirm methane elimination.