Glacier National park to plug leaking oil well near Kintla Lake

Glacier National Park officials announced they will begin work next week to plug a leaking oil well in the park’s northern region.

The Butte Oil Well, near the head of Kintla Lake, was the first oil well drilled in the state of Montana, predating the establishment of Glacier Park.

A 2023 monitoring effort of the well detected a methane gas leak, likely due to seismic activity in the area, according to a news release from the park. The park said plugging the well will reduce methane leaks, minimize physical hazards, and minimize migration of geological formation fluids and chemicals into the nearby lake.

The project is expected to begin on July 27 and continue through late August.

Throughout the duration of the construction, trail and camping access in the Kintla Lake area will be affected, according to the press release. The Kintla Lake Wilderness Campground is expected to be closed during helicopter operations and active construction. Visitors should check Recreation.gov for availability before planning overnight trips in the area.

The frontcountry campground at Kintla Lake will be open for first-come, first-served camping during construction.

Visitors should also expect increased construction traffic along the Inside North Fork Road between Polebridge and Kintla Lake. Construction equipment and activities may temporarily affect views and natural sounds around the lake.

There will be a series of helicopter flights in July to transport materials and equipment to the project site, which will require further closures along the Kintla-Boulder Pass Trail on July 27 and 28, and two days in August, which will be announced later, the park said.

Glacier National Park has an interactive story map about the history of the Butte Oil Well and the process to plug it up to prevent leaks, which can be accessed online.

The project is being completed through the National Park Service’s Abandoned Mineral Lands program, which addresses historic mining sites and oil and gas well established before lands became part of the National Park System.