well status event chronology: Identify the well before building its history
A chronology is only as reliable as its well match. Start with the complete API number or the jurisdiction's full well identifier, preserving punctuation and leading digits from the source. Record the state or other jurisdiction, county or parish when supplied, well name and number, lease or unit name, location fields, and the date each source was accessed.
Names are not unique. Operators reuse well numbers, wells are renamed, and databases abbreviate lease names. Join records on the strongest identifiers available, then document any transformation used to compare formats. If one system displays a shortened API number, retain the original string and show how the missing jurisdiction digits were supplied.
Do not merge wells because they share an operator, location description, or familiar name. When identifiers conflict, keep separate candidate records and return the match for review. A polished chronology for the wrong well is worse than an incomplete chronology with an explicit identity exception.
Treat current status as a dated observation
A regulator query showing "active," "inactive," "shut-in," "plugged," or another code reports what the system displayed when it was accessed. Save the exact code and label, the publisher's definition available at that time, query route, filters, and access timestamp. Do not backdate the current label to an unstated event.
Definitions can change, and similar codes can mean different things across jurisdictions. Keep the definition source attached to the observation. An internal normalized category may support reporting, but it belongs beside the regulator's wording rather than replacing it.
Periodic downloads are valuable because they show change. If a well appears inactive in one download and plugged in a later one, preserve both rows. The interval between them narrows the research window, but it does not establish a plugging date.
Build events from the records closest to them
Permits, drilling reports, completion reports, production filings, operator-change forms, status-change notices, plugging notices, plugging reports, inspections, and orders may each document part of the history. Create a separate event for each source statement, using the source's event label and date meaning.
Do not copy the filing date into the event-date field unless the publisher identifies those dates as the same. A completion report may list spud, completion, and first-production dates while also carrying a later filing date. Store each one under its own label and retain the page or row locator.
When several records report the same event differently, keep all observations. A corrected filing may replace a date, or a summary database may lag behind the document. The chronology should show the conflict and the document relationship instead of selecting the value that produces the neatest sequence.
Operator history needs its own chain
An operator name displayed today should not be copied backward across the well's life. Record the operator stated on each permit, completion, transfer, production, plugging, or order record. Preserve the exact name and identifier where the regulator supplies one.
Operator changes may involve an application, approval, effective date, and database update. Those are different events. If the file contains a transfer request but no approval, label it as a request. If the regulator row changes later, record that observation without inventing the approval date.
Name changes and entity succession also require evidence. Similar corporate names are not proof of identity or legal succession. Link them only through the regulator record or another approved source and retain the document that supports the connection.
Separate plugging intent from plugging completion
A plugging notice often states an intention, proposal, or planned operation. A plugging report, affidavit, inspection, or regulator disposition may document a later stage. The chronology must preserve those roles. It should never convert a notice into proof that plugging was completed.
Suppose a current well query changes from inactive to plugged, but the collected file contains only a plugging notice. Record the notice date and the later status observation. Search for the completion filing, inspection, or order using the full well identifier and relevant date range. Until a source states the event date, leave it unresolved.
Even a plugging report does not let an administrative chronology judge physical adequacy or compliance. Capture the dates and status language that the document reports, then route technical or regulatory conclusions to the responsible reviewer.
Production records do not define every status
Production data can help explain periods of activity or silence, but a missing report or zero volume does not by itself establish shut-in, inactive, abandoned, or plugged status. Record the covered production period, filing or revision date, product, units, and source.
Account for revision vintages. A later download may revise earlier months, and the chronology should not present the access date as the production month. Where the assignment uses production as supporting evidence, retain both the reporting period and the date the dataset was observed.
If a status transition appears near a production gap, describe the timing without asserting causation. The regulator's event filing or reviewed determination remains the evidence for the status change.
Record gaps as search results
For a missing event, log the systems searched, identifiers used, date range, filters, access time, and result. A no-result query means that search returned no match. It does not prove that no filing exists. Older scans, separate imaging systems, county records, or custodian requests may still hold relevant material.
Broken links and unavailable images should remain visible in the source index. If the docket lists a document that cannot be opened, record its metadata and the failed retrieval. A later successful download becomes a new event in the research trail.
The next researcher should be able to continue from the documented search rather than repeat it. Name the most promising missing record, likely custodian, and the date or identifier range already tested.
Review each date and identifier in context
A second reviewer should start with the full well identifier, then reopen the source behind every material event. Confirm the well match, event label, date meaning, operator, source version, and locator. Sample current-status observations against the publisher's definitions and verify that none were copied backward as historic facts.
Review the sequence for impossible or suspicious ordering, but do not silently repair it. A completion date before a displayed spud date may indicate a source error, different date semantics, or a mismatched well. Return the conflict with both sources and a specific question.
The handoff contains the identifier crosswalk, source index, event chronology, operator chain, status-code definitions, production periods, plugging records, missing-event searches, and unresolved conflicts. The chronology supports research and file control. It does not prove physical condition, compliance, operating rights, production entitlement, or plugging adequacy.
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Authoritative starting points
Use the official custodian relevant to the asset and jurisdiction. These sources help confirm terminology, record coverage, identifiers, and access routes:
