In the MAY NEWSLETTER will deal with the care of ORPHANS. An improperly abandoned oil or gas well on your property that you do not own and are not utilizing is classified as an orphan well and can be properly sealed through a number of programs administered by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The programs have sealed over 1,000 wells in the last 30 years and if the owner is not identified the well will be sealed by a State contractor at no cost to the property owner.

The Division of Mineral Resources Management will oversee the sealing of the well, which will take, usually, about two weeks. The contractor will seal the well with a portland cement specially prepared by to strict standards to ensure proper plugging. The condition of your well and its potential danger determines how soon the well would be plugged with the most dangerous plugged within weeks and the safest taking years to be plugged. For more information call ODNR at 614-265-7059.

WEB LINK of THE MONTH: ohiodnr.com/mineral/orphanwells/default.htm There is a very informative slide show at this web site also.

As always, you can count on McSteen and Associates, a multi-faceted second-generation family business that has been serving Northeast Ohio since 1970 to help you better design your project. The McSteen & Associates Engineering and Surveying Departments will design a quality product, using the experience gathered over many years of dealing with government agencies, in a manner readily accepted by the City Councils, County Engineers Office and the Recorders Office. The management team consisting of Terry Feller, President and Registered Professional Engineer and Surveyor, Tim Feller, Vice President and Registered Professional Surveyor and Debbie Feller CFO and Certified Public Accountant and the 62 employees in the offices in Cuyahoga, Lake, Summit, and Franklin counties will handle your project needs. A new office in western Cuyahoga County has recently been added to allow us to provide even more effective services. Local knowledge of the area, extensive records and experience with the area governments allows McSteen & Associates to go the extra mile to protect your investment.