Gas production companies use sophisticated geological location hardware and software to determine the location of these structures, and erect individual gas wells to drill down and access these pockets of gas. One of the largest gas fields in North America is located near Hugoton, Kansas.
Raw gas contains too much water vapor to be useful, too little odor to be safe.
The water vapor is stripped away, and mercaptans are added to provide a distinctive odor. While raw gas is under some geologic pressure, this pressure is not sufficient to move gas to waiting customers. Gas pressure is increased at compressor stations so the gas can travel through the miles of pipes connecting various markets. Transmission pipelines route the gas across a single state, or across the country. Gas from the Hugoton field may be used in Kansas, but it may also travel to any other point in the pipe system, to Chicago, Detroit, etc.