It is my understanding that with horizontal
drilling techniques, operators can directionally drill multiple wells
from one
surface location.  Many operators have released diagrams showing 6 or 8
wells from 1 surface location. But it seems that while this process can be productive for operators, it can create problems in tracking
wells and
production and verifying that all wells are being paid. 

My issue is how do I find out if a well is being drilled on a section that I do NOT have property in, yet the operator is draining from MY neighboring section where I DO own property.  This has already happened once to me and I have been in contact with the operator to get the royalty check corrected.   However,  I just happened to catch this one.  I figure that it is becoming more and more common for this to happen, and also more difficult for landowners to ensure that they are being paid for wells that are not necessarily on their sections, yet are draining gas from them!

Suggestions for finding out more about this?


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I think this would be very rare and somthing I'm not worried about.
Every well permit shows the surface location and bottom hole location. If the surface location is on one section and the bottom hole location in another section, the section that has the bottom hole location will be the section which has the well's royalty owners, because that will be the section that is being produced from. I think you are most likely worrying unnecessarily. The well's Operator knows full well which section receives the royalty, and it is the title attorney's job to determine the owners of the section being produced. There is no intent do deceive on the part of the Operator and I am quite sure you would have been paid properly whether you had contacted the Operator or not, unless you had just recently purchased the minerals.
Kate, the permit for horizontal shale wells states that the lateral can only be perforrated and producing from a single unit which in most cases is a single section. You can look up the plat for any well of interest to see the location of the lateral.

Please provide information related to the specific situation you described (ie being drained) so we can all learn from your experience.
Very good info.

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