Texas regulators grapple with a growing problem: old oil wells leaking polluted water.
In arid West Texas, water seeps and bubbles from old wells, sometimes carrying oil, brackish water or other pollutants to the surface. But the real danger lies underground — where oil, salt, and toxic minerals could migrate into the aquifers that supply water to cities, farms and ranches.
These leaky wells are called P-13 wells, named for a Railroad Commission form. They’re the result of oil exploration that began nearly a century ago.
