Oil wells are a familiar sight here in the Southeast, dotting the landscapes and many farmer's fields.

There are many wells that aren't currently pumping out oil, whether that be due to mechanical failure, lack of shipping capacity, or simply not enough oil.

These inactive wells are the target for a government program that is looking to properly decommission some of these older wells.

The Accelerated Site Closure Program has allocated $316 million in order to clean those up, with the Estevan area receiving $107 million of that.

The process of decommissioning these wells can be an intensive one as Chris Evans, the reclamation remediation lead for Basin Environmental explains.

"When we decommission a well we ensure that we bring a contractor in to abandon the wells," said Evans, "Make sure it is cemented and encased properly, and ensure that the casing is closed off based on the Government of Saskatchewan guidelines."

Evans says that the ASCP has sped up the number of wells that they're able to do, and labels it a success.

"The program has helped out getting these sites reclaimed in a timely fashion," said Evans, "Instead of being delayed a little longer than anticipated, so this funding helps speed up the program getting some of these dormant or abandoned wells cleaned up on a more timely basis."

Overall, Evans says that the year 2021 was great for decommissioning some of these abandoned well.

"It was very productive, a lot of wells have been claimed, and a lot of well sites have been abandoned," said Evans, "So it really shot forward the process there with this provincial funding."

Evans says he's pretty optimistic 2022 will also be another great year for well cleanup.