Some say that this burgeoning market isn't being tapped to its full potential.
Abandoned wells are a problem because they provide a direct conduit between the surface and the drinking water aquifers through which contaminants can move. Basically what we have out there are a bunch of old steel well casings that have met their life expectancies. This presents some problems. Not only can you have contamination from the surface getting into the top of the casing, but also all up and down that casing you can have corrosion and areas that have rotted out, and contaminants can get in through there. Abandoned wells facilitate the migration of contaminants.