Federal workers will spend late July and most of August plugging a historic oil well near Kintla Lake in Glacier National Park, closing some trail and camping access, the park announced Wednesday.
The Butte Oil Well is a former 1,000-foot oil drill that started operating in 1901 and was closed with the establishment of the national park in 1910, but recently researchers found the long-abandoned site is still leaking methane.
"Plugging the well is essential to reducing methane leaks, preventing the migration of different geologic formation fluids and chemicals into the lake, minimizing physical hazards, and ensuring adherence to environmental regulations," the National Park Service said in a detailed online project website.
The work will start on July 27 with helicopters and boats moving construction material to the project site near the inlet of Kintla Lake.
Helicopters are expected to operate in the area on July 27 and July 28 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and two yet-to-be announced dates at the end of August.
The construction requires the closure of Kintla Lake Wilderness Campground through most of the several week operation, the park service said in a press release.
Kintla-Boulder Pass Trail along Kintla Lake will also close intermittently for the helicopter work. The front country campground will remain open throughout the construction, according to the park service.
"Visitors should also expect increased construction traffic along the Inside North Fork Road between Polebridge and Kintla Lake," the press release said. "Construction equipment and activities may temporarily affect views and natural sounds around the lake."
The project is being completed through the National Park Service's Abandoned Mineral Lands Program. The federal program addresses historic mining sites that were established before lands became part of the National Park System.
The Butte Oil Well was first established in 1900. Drilling started in 1901 with a team of six employees, but the operation was detailed by mechanical issues in 1902.
A fire burned down several of the outbuildings related to the oil well in 1904, and the Butte Oil Company never established another well in the area by the time their claims were declared extinguished by the Department of the Interior in 1912.
To remediate the site, workers will remove the old casing of the drilling shaft and place several cement plugs into the ground that prevent the movement of fluids between different rock formations underground.
The top of the drill shaft will also be capped to prevent surface exposure, and the project area will be restored to its natural condition, according to the park service's website.
For more information on the project, visit the National Park Service's "story map" on its website.
