Help for Annual Well Production Search

This help section covers items in the Annual Well Production search drop-down menu and search results. If JavaScript is enabled on your computer, many of the search criteria also have their own drop-down list to save typing in words. If JavaScript is not enabled, then you can view acceptable search terms by clicking on highlighted headings on this help page.

The first set of search results under Wells will have just three columns: API Number, Well Name, and Operator Name. Click on the API Number for a specific well to see months in production, the oil, gas and water produced, and other details on the well.

The list below is organized alphabetically:

API Well Number or API# - These are both abbreviations for a 14-digit American Petroleum Institute number where the first 5 digits indicate the state and county, the next 5 digits indicate the specific well (see hole number below), the next 2 digits are for sidetrack wells off the main well bore, and the last 2 digits are a completion code

Confidential – DEC may grant confidential status to certain information about a well for periods ranging from six months to 2 years.

County – This is the name of the county the well is in. If no drop-down menu appears, click the link at the beginning of this entry for a list of county names.

Field – The area encompassing a group of oil and/or gas wells with a common producing source. Field names are officially registered with DEC.

Gas (MCF) – Gas is measured in cubic feet. MCF is the abbreviation for one thousand cubic feet. It takes roughly 69 MCF of gas to heat the average New York home in winter.

Hole Number – This is a shorter 5-digit version of the API number described above. It lacks the preceding state and county codes and detailed codes at end. The hole number matches the 6th to 10th digits in a full API number. However, the database may drop all zeros at the beginning. Therefore, to search on the 5-digit hole number “00036” just type “36” in the blank.

Oil (BBL) – Oil is measured in barrels. A barrel equals 42 gallons.

Operator – Any person, company or organization in charge of the development of a lease or operation of a well.

Well Name – The name of the well as shown on the drilling permit.

Producing Year – The year of the production records for the well.

Producing Formation – This is the geologic formation that contains the oil or gas being produced. If no drop-down menu appears, click the link at the beginning of this entry for a list of formations and geologic ages.

Town – This is the name of the town where the well is located. If no drop-down menu appears, the link at the beginning of this entry shows correct spelling of town names.

Water (BBL) – Water is sometimes produced from an underground rock formation along with the oil and/or gas produced. It is measured in barrels (42 gallons). The water is often salty and must be properly disposed of.

Well Status – This is the status of the well for the previous calendar year. Click on the link at the beginning of this entry for 2–letter codes needed to interpret search results and/or to type in search box.

Well Type – The well type shown in these search results reflects the final classification of the well. Click on the link at the beginning of this entry for 2–letter codes needed to interpret search results and/or to type in search box.