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Version Information

  • 2022-Q4 (Published March 6, 2023)
    • Records queried through December 31, 2022; Downloaded from PADEP March 1, 2023.
    • The quarterly update schedule will no longer be followed starting in 2023. Instead there will be an annual release that follows the previous Q4 timeframe.
  • 2022-Q3 (Published October 17, 2022)
    • Records queried through September 30, 2022; Downloaded from PADEP October 17, 2022.
  • 2022-Q2 (Published August 30, 2022)
    • Records queried through June 30, 2022; Downloaded from PADEP August 26, 2022.
  • 2022-Q1 (Published April 15, 2022)
    • Records queried through March 31, 2022; Downloaded from PADEP March 14, 2022.
  • 2021-Q4 (Published March 21, 2022)
    • Records queried through December 31, 2021; Downloaded from PADEP March 14, 2022.
    • DEP Report Download Servers were down for a couple weeks, delaying release.
  • 2021-Q3 (Published October 15, 2021)
    • Records queried through September 30, 2021; Downloaded from PADEP October 7, 2021.
    • Production and Waster queried through July 2021 downloaded and included.
  • 2021-Q2 (Published August 24, 2021)
    • Records queried through June 30, 2021; Downloaded from PADEP August 23, 2021.
  • 2021-Q1 (Published April 21, 2021)
    • Records (excluding Production and Waste) queried through March 31, 2021; Downloaded from PADEP April 12, 2021.
    • Production and Waste queried through February 2020 downloaded April 16, 2020, and included.
  • 2020-Q4 (Published April 13, 2021)
    • Records queried through December 31, 2020; Downloaded from PADEP April 12, 2020.
  • 2020-Q3 (Published December 21, 2020)
    • Records queried through September 30, 2020; Downloaded from PADEP December 14 and 18, 2020.
  • 2020-Q2 (Published December 18, 2020)
    • Records queried through June 30, 2020; Downloaded from PADEP December 14 and 18, 2020.
    • Updated source data website URL links
  • 2020-Q1 (Published April 16, 2020)
    • Records (excluding Production and Waste) queried through March 31, 2020; Downloaded from PADEP April 7, 2020.
    • Production and Waste queried through February 2020 downloaded April 16, 2020, and included.
  • 2019-Q4 (Published February 28, 2020; Republished April 13, 2020)
    • Records (including Production and Waste) queried through December 31, 2019; Downloaded from PADEP February 27, 2020. Production and Waste records redownloaded and updated April 7, 2020.
    • The dataset was updated and republished since the PA DEP released more Production and Waste records after the initial data was published.
  • 2019-Q3 (Published October 23, 2019)
    • Records (excluding Production and Waste) queried through September 30, 2019; Downloaded from PADEP October 21, 2019.
    • Production and Waste queried through August 2019 downloaded and included.
  • 2019-Q2 (Published August 20, 2019)
    • Records (including Production and Waste) queried through June 30, 2019; Downloaded from PADEP August 19, 2019.
  • 2019-Q1 (Published May 6, 2019)
    • Records (excluding Production and Waste) queried through March 31, 2019; Downloaded from PADEP April 30 & May 2, 2019.
    • Production and Waste queried through February 2019 downloaded and included.
    • Analysis algorithm for PROD_DATE_FIRST and PROD_DATE_LAST was modified to be the first and last dates of production based on records that reported production of greater than 0 Mcf.
  • 2018-Q4 (Published February 22, 2019; Republished April 13, 2020)
    • Records (including Production and Waste) queried through December 31, 2018; Downloaded from PADEP August 2018 & February 20, 2019. Production and Waste records redownloaded and updated April 7, 2020.
    • The dataset was updated and republished since the PA DEP released more Production and Waste records after the initial data was published.
  • 2018-Q3 (Published February 6, 2019)
    • Records (including Production and Waste) queried through September 30, 2018; Downloaded from PADEP August 2018 and February 5, 2019.
  • 2018-Q2 (Published August 30, 2018)
    • Records (including Production and Waste) queried through June 30, 2018; Downloaded from PADEP August 6, 7, & 28, 2018.
  • 2018-Q1 (Published August 16, 2018)
    • Records (excluding Production and Waste) queried through March 31, 2018; Downloaded from PADEP August 6 & 7, 2018.
    • Production and Waste queried through February 2018 downloaded and included.
    • Geodatabase Schema Changes
      • Unconventional Wells geodatabase now include z-values based on the OGLOC_SURFACE_ELEVATION field
      • WASTE_PERIOD_FIRST, WASTE_PERIOD_LAST, PROD_PERIOD_FIRST, PROD_PERIOD_LAST fields were changed to WASTE_DATE_FIRST, WASTE_DATE_LAST, PROD_ DATE _FIRST, PROD_ DATE _LAST, respectively
      • Well Production Summary Fields were removed from the Unconventional Wells feature class. This data is still available in the Unc_Production table
    • Metadata document changes
      • Changed COMPUTER DATA FILES section to DOWNLOAD FILES
      • Added UNCONVENTIONAL WELLS TOOLS section
    • ArcGIS Layer files for both ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro (.lyr and .lyrx) were added as a separate download
    • A new Unconventional Wells Tools (v. 1) toolbox released; Tools include:
      • Calculate Unconventional Well Production
  • 2017-Q4 (Published August 8, 2018; Republished April 8, 2020)
    • Records (including Production and Waste) queried through December 31, 2017; Downloaded from PADEP August 6 & 7, 2018. Production and Waste records redownloaded and updated April 7, 2020.
    • The dataset was updated and republished since the PA DEP released more Production and Waste records after the initial data was published.
  • 2017-Q3 (Published August 3, 2018)
    • Records (excluding Production and Waste) queried through September 30, 2017; Downloaded from PADEP October 9, 2017.
    • Production and Waste queried through July 2017 downloaded and included.
  • 2017-Q2 (Published August 25, 2017; Republished with new schema on August 3, 2018)
    • Records (including Production and Waste) queried through June 30, 2017; Downloaded from PADEP Aug 22, 2017.
  • 2017-Q1 (Published April 24, 2017; Republished with new schema on August 3, 2018)
    • Records (excluding Production and Waste) queried through March 31, 2017, Downloaded from PADEP Apr 10, 11, & 14, 2017.
    • Production and Waste queried through February 2017 downloaded and included.
    • Workflow changes
      • Current Operator: the priority of determining the most current operator was changed to place the PADEP Oil & Gas Locations – Conventional Unconventional first
      • Location: the location is now calculated based on the average of all location coordinates
      • Well Production Summary Fields: Renamed to be compatible with shapefiles
    • Metadata document changes
      • Updated field definitions and general information to be current
      • Updated source data access and download links to be current
      • Updated Credits to be current
      • Updated to be accessible for people with disabilities
    • Due to the size of the geodatabase increasing as records have been added, the zip file has been split into separate zip files for the different formats for easier downloadability
    • The following datasets are no longer included in the downloadable zip file to consolidate and modernize the data. The table below explains the decision to remove or how the data has been mitigated or transformed:
File Name Explanation / Mitigation
CSVThe following CSV files are no longer included
Unc_WellsProductionSummary.csv The fields included in the CSV file have been joined to the Unc_WellsSummary.csv table
UnconventionalWellsPA_YYYY_Q#.gdbThe following are no longer included in the Geodatabase
Counties_PAThis was removed for consolidation purposes
MarcellusShaleFormationThis was removed for consolidation purposes
MarcellusShaleFormation_PAThis was removed for consolidation purposes
Unc_WellsProductionSummaryThis was removed for consolidation purposes
Unc_WellsSummaryThe Unconventional Wells feature class now includes records without location data as null geometry
UnconventionalWellsPA_YYYY_Q#.mxdThe ArcMap Document was removed for consolidation purposes
Pennsylvania Unconventional Wells.lyrThe ArcGIS Layer file was removed for consolidation purposes
  • 2016-Q4 (Published March 1, 2017)
    • Records (including Production and Waste) queried through December 31, 2016; Downloaded from PA DEP Feb 14 & 27, 2017.
  • 2016-Q3 (Published October 13, 2016)
    • Records (excluding Production and Waste) queried through September 30, 2016; Downloaded from PA DEP October 13, 2016.
    • Production and Waste queried through July 2016 downloaded and included.
  • 2016-Q2 (Published August 25, 2016)
    • Records (including Production and Waste) queried through June 30, 2016; Downloaded from PA DEP Aug 18, 19 & 22, 2016.
  • 2016-Q1 (Published April 12, 2016)
    • Records (excluding Production and Waste) queried through March 31, 2016; Downloaded from PA DEP April 8 & 11, 2016.
    • Production and Waste queried through January 2016 downloaded and included.
  • 2015-Q4 (Published February 23, 2016)
    • Records (including Production and Waste) queried through December 31, 2015; Downloaded from PA DEP February 22, 2016.
  • 2015-Q3 (Published October 13, 2015)
    • Records (excluding Production and Waste) queried through September 30, 2015; Downloaded from PA DEP October 7, 2015.
    • Production and Waste queried through July 2015 downloaded and included.
  • 2015-Q2 (Published September 1, 2015)
    • Records (including Production and Waste) queried through June 30, 2015; downloaded from PA DEP August 24, 2015.
    • Monthly Production field naming convention updated to differentiate these fields from ongoing 6-month reports Production and Waste figures. Unconventional gas Production for Jan-June and July- December will remain Year-01 and Year-02, respectively, while monthly Production and Waste periods will follow the format M-15-1-JANU for January 2015, M-15-2-FEBU for February 2015, and so on.
  • 2015-Q1 (Published April 8, 2015)
    • Records (excluding Production and Waste) queried through March 31, 2015; downloaded from PA DEP April 8, 2015.
    • Production and waste are now reported monthly; Production and Waste for the first monthly reporting period, January 2015, downloaded and included.
  • 2014-Q4 (Published February 23, 2015)
    • Records queried through December 31, 2014; downloaded from PA DEP February 20, 2015.
    • No updates.
  • 2014-Q3 (Published October 7, 2014)
    • Records queried through September 30, 2014; downloaded from PA DEP October 6, 2014.
    • No updates.
  • 2014-Q2 (Published August 26, 2014)
    • Records queried through June 30, 2014; downloaded from PA DEP August 22, 2014.
    • No updates.
  • 2014-Q1 (Published May 14, 2014)
    • Records queried through March 31, 2014; downloaded from PA DEP April 14, 2014.
    • Added two additional datasets: PA DEP Oil and Gas Locations – Conventional Unconventional shapefile from PASDA and Well Formations Report.
    • Added new fields: OGLOC_COUNT, OGLOC_UNC_COUNT, OGLOC_HRZ_COUNT, OGLOC_WELL_STATUS, OGLOC_WELL_PAD, OGLOC_SURFACE_ELEVATION, FORMATION, WELL_STAGE.
    • Changed the WELL_STATUS definition to be in line with PA DEP definition.
    • Added a new analysis, Well Stage, to indicate the life stage of a well. This field will help to better determine whether a well is permitted, drilled, or has produced natural gas.
    • Fixed an error with the calculation for the ERROR_UNC_STATUS that did not accurately identify wells with the error.
  • 2013-Q4 (Published February 28, 2014)
    • Records queried through December 31, 2013; downloaded from PA DEP February 26, 2014.
    • No updates.
  • 2013-Q3 (Published October 15, 2013)
    • Records queried through September 30, 2013; downloaded from PA DEP October 7, 2013.
    • No updates.
  • 2013-Q2 (Published August 30, 2013)
    • Records queried through June 30, 2013; downloaded from PA DEP August 26, 2013.
    • No updates.
  • 2013-Q1 (Published June 30, 2013)
    • Records queried through March 31, 2013; downloaded from PA DEP May 15, 2013.
    • The Unconventional Wells Summary data compilation method changed significantly, allowing for faster processing. The order of fields changed, some field names were changed, new fields were added, while others were eliminated (see Unconventional Wells Summary Fields table). Below are the important changes. Not all are listed.
    • WELL_STATUS – Definition changed to conform to the PA DEP definition. See Data Dictionary section of metadata document. The well status is also included from the Spud, PUC, Waste, and Production reports.
    • PERMIT_WELL_TYPE and SPUD_ WELL_TYPE – Fields added to indicate PA DEP well type classification.
    • PUC_PLUGGED_DATE – This field was added to show when wells were plugged.
    • VIOL_DATE_FIRST and _LAST – Violations dates were added.
    • PUC_ANALYSIS – This field was eliminated and the analysis is no longer completed.
    • PUC_FORMATION_NAME – this field was eliminated because the PA DEP no longer includes the field in the PUC report data. The PA DEP replaced this field with an additional report called “Oil and Gas Well Formations Report” (OOGM 2013). At this time, there is no plan to include the report or reestablish the field in a later release.  If the data is desired, it is recommended to download that report, and use an attribute join to add the field.
    • All GAS_QUANTITY and GAS_DAYS fields – These fields were moved into a new table that summarizes natural gas production. It is designed to be easily joined to the Unconventional Wells Summary table.
    • All tables are now available as Comma Separated Value (CSV) format instead of Microsoft Excel. This allows for more versatility and compatibility with other database software. CSV is a compatible format with Microsoft Excel.
    • A quarterly publication schedule was established. This also resulted in a redesigned versioning structure. See Update and Version Information of the metadata.
    • The recommended data citation has changed.
  • 2012.12 (Published February 8, 2012)
    • Records queried through December 31, 2012; downloaded from PA DEP January 25, 2013 (All Sources).
    • The 2012 annual and second period for unconventional wells Production and Waste reports are not included as these are not released until mid-February. The next version will contain these records.
    • Minor elements of the data structure were updated to help conserve storage space and allow for greater flexibility for users with earlier versions of ArcGIS. The changes include fixes that allow the file geodatabase, map document, and layer file to be compatible with ArcGIS 9.3 and above.
    • The known issue regarding the truncation of text values for the INSPECTION_COMMENT field of the Compliance Report was resolved.
  • 2012.06 (Published September 28, 2012)
    • Records queried through June 30, 2012; downloaded from PA DEP August 16, 2012 (Permits, SPUD, Compliance, and PUC) and September 5, 2012 (Production and Waste).
    • The geodatabase changed its name from “Carnegie Geodatabase of Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Wells” to “Carnegie Museum of Natural History Pennsylvania Unconventional Natural Gas Wells Geodatabase”.
    • Fields updated: SITE_NAME changed to FARM_NAME; Any field designated with “MS” was changed to “UNC” to reflect the geodatabase name change; LOCATION_YN changed name to ERROR_LOCATION; All GAS_PROD fields changed to GAS_QUANT;
    • Fields removed: ERROR_FLAG, ERROR_NOTE
    • New fields added: ERROR_PERMIT, ERROR_SPUD, ERROR_MS_STATUS, and ERROR_COUNT. The field additions listed correct for any overlapping errors. For example, if a well has a permit or a spud error and is also inconsistently identified as an Unconventional well, each error will be reflected in the new fields. This eliminates weighting the errors and will show each error independently. The error count field can now be used to see which wells have more than one discrepancy. The definitions of errors and discrepancies were expanded and described more clearly as well.
    • Metadata was updated to reflect the changes from above.
  • 2012.04 (Published May 14, 2012)
    • Records queried through April 30, 2012; downloaded from PA DEP May 14, 2012.
    • Initial public release
  • 2011.12 (no formal publication)
    • Records queried through December 31, 2011; downloaded from PA DEP on April 16, 2012.
    • Added Waste Reports, Compliance Reports, and PUC Act 13 SPUD Report.
  • 2011.10 (no formal publication)
    • Records queried through October 31, 2011; downloaded from PA DEP Fall of 2011.
    • This dataset only includes Permit, SPUD, and Production records and used slightly different techniques in compiling the records due to a different data delivery system by the PA DEP. In January of 2012, the PA DEP released a new data query and download tool.