Projects in Communities
Complex projects located near communities may require additional communication and status updates. If you have any additional questions or concerns pertaining to the sites in this section, please contact community@orphanwell.ca.
Bonnyville Historic Well Re-Entry Project
Bonnyville Historic Well Re-Entry Program
2026 Project Revised Schedule - October 8th, 2026
Bonnyville Community Update
Background
The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) has directed the Orphan Well Association (OWA) to re-enter four (4) historic, decommissioned wells to address minor gas migration (GM) concerns. One well is located on the northwest bank of Jessie Lake and the other three are located near the Bonnyville Rodeo Grounds.
Assurance of Safety
Previous testing results have indicated that there are no immediate threats to public safety as all four wells are spaced away from buildings and surface infrastructure. Furthermore, access for re-entry is anticipated to be minimally disruptive to the community.
Revised Schedule
Due to persistent wet ground conditions, project commencement has been moved from July 2026 to early October 2026. Please see below for the revised tentative schedule:
Wellhead Installation: Early October 2026
The installation of the four wellheads is scheduled for early October 2026, pending ground conditions. During this work-phase the buried well casing will be exposed for each well and a wellhead will be installed to enable testing and monitoring. Typically, the wellhead installation will be completed within one day per well.
Monitoring Work: October 2026
Following the installation of the wellheads, the wells will be monitored to gather information in preparation of the re-entry engineering and programming. During this monitoring, gas levels will be tested and public safety will continue to be a priority.
Commencement of Well Re-entry Program: November 2026 to April 2027
After the well monitoring and program preparation, the re-entry work will begin. While the equipment used during this phase will be confirmed following the monitoring program, it is anticipated that the re-entry work will be completed with a service rig. A service rig is much smaller than a traditional drilling rig and will help ensure minimal disruption to the community. Operations will occur during standard working hours of 7am to 7pm and may include temporary disruptions to traffic along with elevated noise. The OWA will work with the Town of Bonnyville to minimize impacts to the community throughout the project. Following the re-entry operations, the wells will be re-abandoned to current standards. Pending the well abandonment activities, the wells will be monitored to ensure the operations were successful. Once there is confirmation the operations were successful the wells will be cut and capped below surface.
Stay Up-To-Date – Throughout the re-entry program, the OWA will continue to post project iinformation on our website http://www.orphanwell.ca/community/
Questions? – If you have questions about this project; please email us at info@orphanwell.ca.