Fewer than 20 Bakken Shale wells shut in from North Dakota flood threat

Houston (Platts)--4Jun2015/545 pm EDT/2145 GMT

Fewer than 20 wells have been shut in as a precaution against potential floods after recent heavy rains hit the Bakken Shale production areas of northwest North Dakota, a spokeswoman for the Oil & Gas Division of the state's Department of Mineral Resources said Thursday.

The wells belong to Statoil, Oasis Petroleum, Zavanna Oil & Gas, and privately held Rim Operating and Proven Petroleum, spokeswoman Alison Ritter said, though she could not immediately quantify production impacts.

She said North Dakota officials were monitoring 13 companies and 80 wells in areas that could potentially be affected by flooding.

"Zavanna has about 12, and Statoil has at least two and was contemplating a third," Ritter said. "And we got an update from Oasis this morning indicating they might be shutting in wells."

But Statoil spokesman Jim Schwartz said earlier Thursday that the company "concluded we won't have to shut in our wells at this time," but said the company continues to monitor the wells and the weather.

Ritter said the companies' wells will be shut in until the threat of floods subsides.

The main concern, weather officials said, is rising of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers, which meet west of the city of Williston. Recent heavy rains have added to normal spring thaws to create higher-than-normal river levels.

"We've had quite a bit of rainfall during the last couple of weeks in [eastern] Montana, and we're still receiving some snow melt" from mountains in Wyoming, said Corey King, emergency response specialist for the National Weather Service.

"Right now the main thing is watching the river," especially around the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers, King said.

Currently "we're at about 21.4 feet gauge at Williston, and forecasting 22.5 feet over this weekend" due to more rain expected later in the week, he said. "Historically, at those levels, some access roads to the well sites are potentially impacted. That's the main concern."

National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Ayd said at 22 feet, the access roads to well sites could be flooded, but "the closer we get to 24 feet, that's where the potential is for greater impacts to the well sites." Ayd added, however, that he expects "we'll be a foot and a half shy of that level."

--Starr Spencer, starr.spencer@platts.com
--Edited by Annie Siebert, ann.siebert@platts.com

http://www.platts.com/latest-news/oil/houston/fewer-than-20-bakken-shale-wells-shut-in-from-21558389