Program tracker › Colorado

Colorado orphan well program

Funding, wells plugged and contractors for Colorado's orphan well program, from public federal records.

Federal orphan-well grants found
$84.5 million
4 awards, latest 2026-01-01
Total of reported plugging costs on file
$34.0 million
sum of 322 records; not a cost per well
Plugged wells on file
322
2022-10 to 2026-06

BModerate confidence

Median reported cost per well: $85,728, typical range $34,175 – $182,260; Typically within 40%. Full state page.

02040232023Q2332023Q3422023Q452024Q1472024Q2382024Q3132024Q412025Q2152025Q3182025Q4262026Q1402026Q2
Plugged wells with a reported cost, by quarter of plug date (latest 12 quarters).

Estimated cost to plug the documented backlog

Colorado lists about 650 documented orphan wells (documented orphan wells, as of 2023-12-31; IOGCC Idle and Orphan Oil and Gas Wells (2024), state-reported). Multiplied by the published cost per well, that is roughly $55.7 million (low $22.2 million, high $118.5 million). This is an estimate built from the published figures, not a program estimate; the wells left are not necessarily like the wells already plugged. Methodology.

Contractors

Companies on federal plugging contracts or subawards in Colorado, from USAspending.gov: North Wind Site Services Llc, Snow Consulting And Services, Inc., Spn Well Services Inc.

Sources: US Department of the Interior Orphaned Wells Program data, USAspending.gov. Grant amounts are those found for Colorado and may be incomplete. Limitations.

Cost by state: Colorado · All states