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#           Time, climate, and soil settings set the course for reclamation outcomes following dryland energy development              

      August 24, 2023    

Soil attributes, climate, and time since reclamation have important implications for oil and gas reclamation success on drylands. It is uncertain if reclaimed well pads, on highly degraded drylands, can successfully regain ecological function or meet indicator benchmarks for reclamation. Here, our goals were to assess patterns in reclamation outcomes relative to (1) soil attributes, climate, and time since reclamation; and (2) plant and soil reference benchmarks. We collected a suite of plant, soil, and landscape characteristics from 134 reclaimed well pads on the Colorado Plateau that spanned climate and soil gradients and ranged from 2 to 20 years post-reclamation, then compared characteristics to those from 583 reference plots. On the reclaimed pads, less saline soils, more mesic climates, and longer time since reclamation were associated with favorable reclamation outcomes based on metrics of plant species richness and diversity, plant structure, and cover of important plant functional groups. However, most pads had major departures in 1/4 indicators, suggesting unsuccessful reclamation. Arid warm locations with shallow soils had the greatest percentage of major departures, and noxious plant richness had the greatest departures across soil and climate settings. Our assessment indicates reclamation is failing in key metrics for most pads, and the results highlight the role of environmental conditions in driving reclamation outcomes. These new insights are valuable for ascertaining possible reclamation outcomes and success rates following energy related disturbance, including orphaned wells and renewable energy development. Importantly, the approach used here has applicability for setting benchmarks and outcome standards.

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August 29, 2023

####                 Vegetation and soil cover from 134 reclaimed oil and gas well pads and 583 AIM reference plots in the Southwestern United States              

Southwest Biological Science Center

#### Anna C Knight

##### Ecologist

Southwest Biological Science Center

aknight@usgs.gov

#### John B Bradford, Ph.D.

##### Research Ecologist, Northwest CASC

Climate Adaptation Science Centers

jbradford@usgs.gov

928-380-4671

#### Seth Munson, Ph.D.

##### Research Ecologist

Southwest Biological Science Center

smunson@usgs.gov

928-556-7301

#### Sasha C Reed, Ph.D.

##### Research Ecologist

Southwest Biological Science Center

screed@usgs.gov

928-556-7534

#### Miguel Villarreal, PhD

##### Research Geographer

Western Geographic Science Center

mvillarreal@usgs.gov

650-329-4261

#### Mike Duniway, Ph.D.

##### Research Ecologist & Soil Scientist

Southwest Biological Science Center

mduniway@usgs.gov

928-556-7530

## Related Content

                  - Data  LabelAugust 29, 2023                Vegetation and soil cover from 134 reclaimed oil and gas well pads and 583 AIM reference plots in the Southwestern United States              These data were compiled to assess the recovery of vegetation on reclaimed oil and gas sites. Objective(s) of our study were to assess patterns in reclamation outcomes relative to 1) soil attributes, climate, and time since 39 reclamation and 2) plant and soil reference benchmarks. These data represent observations of vegetation and soil cover from 134 reclaimed oil and gas well pads and 583 AIM rBySouthwest Biological Science Center 
                  - Connect  Anna C KnightEcologistSouthwest Biological Science CenterEmailaknight@usgs.govJohn B Bradford, Ph.D.Research Ecologist, Northwest CASCClimate Adaptation Science CentersEmailjbradford@usgs.govPhone928-380-4671Seth Munson, Ph.D.Research EcologistSouthwest Biological Science CenterEmailsmunson@usgs.govPhone928-556-7301Sasha C Reed, Ph.D.Research EcologistSouthwest Biological Science CenterEmailscreed@usgs.govPhone928-556-7534Miguel Villarreal, PhDResearch GeographerWestern Geographic Science CenterEmailmvillarreal@usgs.govPhone650-329-4261Mike Duniway, Ph.D.Research Ecologist & Soil ScientistSouthwest Biological Science CenterEmailmduniway@usgs.govPhone928-556-7530 

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2255 N. Gemini DriveFlagstaff, AZ86001United States

928-556-7094

928-556-7092

#### Western Geographic Science Center - Main Office

350 N. Akron Rd.Moffett Field, CA94035United States

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