DOGGR Orders 12 Kern County Wells to Close

The Department of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources has closed 12 Kern County injection wells to protect water underground that’s clean enough for drinking and irrigation.

Don Drysdale is with the agency and says six companies have been notified.

“For the most part, they voluntarily shut in,” he said. “In the case of a couple of the operators, they declined to voluntarily shut in, so they were issued formal cease-and-desist orders.”

DOGGR shut 11 wells down last July for similar reasons.

Drysdale says the shutdowns were ordered as a preventative measure, and the wells haven’t affected aquifers or the quality of ground water.

– Anthony Pollreisz