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🛢️ WAGENMAN 32-29 3H
DEVON ENERGY WILLISTON, LLC (Transferee); GRAYSON MILL OPERATING, LLC (Prior Operator) · Williams County, ND · File #41051 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33
- API
- 3310506303
- Target Formation
- Middle Bakken Formation
- Permit Explained
- Yes
📋 Permit Cycle Assessment
The well file contains comprehensive contemporaneous documentation explaining and justifying permit issuance and all post-permit regulatory actions. The August 21, 2024 Application for Permit to Drill (APD FORM ID not explicitly numbered but referenced as the base permit) was approved by Todd Holweger on that same date, establishing the drilling plan, directional objectives, casing design, and completion interval targeting the Middle Bakken formation within the Todd-Bakken Pool across a 1,280-acre spacing unit spanning Sections 29–32, T155N, R101W. The permit included Field Order No. 32450 stipulations governing setbacks (150' north/south, 500' east/west), closed mud systems, remote shutoff devices, and notification requirements. Four sundry waivers filed August 22, 2024, and one suspension-of-drilling sundry filed also on August 22, 2024 (approved March 6, 2025) provided regulatory approval for non-standard drilling practices: tubing/packer waiver (with six documented safety assurances), open-hole log waiver (with offset-well justification), filter sock exemption (for no-filtration drilling), and 90-day suspension authority. Spud notification (February 25, 2025) and directional survey certifications (Mesa West, dated March 18, 2025, and Total Directional Services, dated May 16, 2025) documented actual drilling performance. Contemporaneous geologic mud logging report (Core Geologic, LLC) provided real-time formation-steering documentation from May 12–17, 2025. Finally, the Form 15 Notice of Transfer (approved October 31, 2025) documents the change of operator from Grayson Mill Operating, LLC to Devon Energy Williston, LLC, with updated bonding under RLI Insurance Company (Bond CMS0358791, $100,000). All critical regulatory actions—permit issuance, pre-drilling waivers, spud authority, drilling completion, and post-drilling operator transfer—are explained by contemporaneous documentation within the well file.
🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)
📄 Form 15 Notice of Transfer of Oil and Gas Wells, approved October 31, 2025
📅 2025-10-31 (Exact confidence)
Transfer of operational responsibility and bonding (Bond No. CMS0358791 under RLI Insurance) from prior operator to new operator. This action explains a change-of-operator status and clarifies which entity now holds legal and regulatory obligations for well conduct.
📄 Spud Notification Sundry Form (FORM ID 233273); Directional Survey Reports (Mesa West & Total Directional Services)
📅 2025-02-25 (Exact confidence)
Establishes the actual drilling window and confirms well was drilled within the 90-day suspension-of-drilling window approved in the original permit cycle (Suspension of Drilling Sundry FORM ID 203801, approved March 6, 2025). The well reached TD before the suspension period elapsed, validating the operational plan.
📄 Sundry Form FORM ID 203803; References NDAC 43-02-03-21 variance with 6 assurances (casing API ratings, safety factor 0.85, pressure monitoring, etc.)
📅 2025-08-27 (Exact confidence)
Non-routine approval that directly conditions well completion and production phases. Waiver was issued pre-drilling and remains operative post-drilling. It permits deviation from standard tubing/packer equipment during flowback, subject to documented pressure monitoring and safety factor compliance.
📄 Sundry Form FORM ID 203797; References DMR Rule 43-02-03-31; offset well NDIC #39041 (Dave Arnson 5-8 4H) cited as basis
📅 2024-08-22 (Exact confidence)
Regulatory approval modifying logging requirements. Waiver explicitly permits use of nearby well logs in lieu of open-hole porosity/resistivity logs on this well, reducing operational cost and time. Waiver conditioned on GR-CBL and geologic interpretation submission.
📄 Sundry Form FORM ID 203799; References NDAC Section 43-02-03-19.2; Operator certification that no filter media used during drilling
📅 2024-08-22 (Exact confidence)
Regulatory waiver specific to this well's drilling operations. Operator certified no filtration systems would be used, justifying exemption from on-site filter media container requirements. Waiver scope limited to drilling phase only.
📖 Historical Context (4)
Backbuild Order Waiver request letter dated July 25, 2024, asserting operator self-notification status under NDIC Order No. 31848
📄 Operator letter signed by Tori Siemieniewski (Regulatory Advisor), stating Grayson Mill is both operator of subject well and adjacent spacing unit, therefore no third-party notification required · 📅 2024-07-25
Establishes contractual and operational continuity: Grayson Mill's control of both the drilled spacing unit (Sections 29, 32) and the adjacent unit allows horizontal wellbores to traverse the boundary without third-party coordination. This eliminates ongoing adjacency-notification obligations that would otherwise constrain future operations or require periodic remediation. The self-ownership claim removes a regulatory friction point that could delay well operations.
Well pad design includes multiple wells on same pad: WAGENMAN 32-29 3H, 4H, 5H, 6H, and WAGENMAN 33-28 XE 1H shown in coordinated surface layout and planning documents
📄 Well location plat (S-1, S-2, S-3), drilling plan document, pad layout (C-2), and section breakdown (S-2) all dated 2024 · 📅 2024-06-05 (Latest sheet date)
Establishes a multi-well pad development plan that commits Grayson Mill (now Devon) to a coordinated drilling and completion sequence across five horizontal laterals from a single location. Pad design constrains future operational decisions: spacing, timing of production equipment installation, fluid handling, and decommissioning liability extend across all five wells. The APD approval and Field Order 32450 conditioning all five wells collectively creates ongoing compliance obligations (e.g., 150' setback adherence, closed mud system operation, remote shutoff devices) that persist across the entire pad life.
Closed mud system with directed cuttings disposal to Secure Energy Services 13-Mile Landfill (Williston, ND); no saltwater allowed in surface/intermediate casing drilling or cementing
📄 Proposed Drilling Plan section, APD FORM page 4; Field Order 32450 stipulation 'Permit Review Policy' clause; Disposal section specifies licensed facility and address · 📅 2024-08-21
Establishes non-negotiable environmental and operational constraint: all drill cuttings must be containerized and hauled to specific licensed facility, not land-farmed or pit-disposed on location. This obligation persists for the life of the well and any future remediation work. The closed-mud-system requirement constrains rig selection, mud chemistry, and flowback protocols—all future operational modifications must remain compatible with this disposal pathway.
Geologic steering and mud logging requirement (evidenced by contemporaneous on-site mud logging report by Core Geologic, LLC from May 12–17, 2025) with real-time formation tracking in Middle Bakken target zone
📄 Geologic Well Report signed by Erik Anderson, Core Geologic LLC, dated May 2025; Directional Survey Planning documents (COMPASS 5000); Formation tops and target window definition pages · 📅 2025-05-12
Establishes operational precedent and technical baseline for well steering performance: the Middle Bakken target window was defined 10–26 feet into formation (10' from top, 16' total window). Actual lateral achieved 85% of targeted area from zone center to lower shale boundary and remained 100% within Middle Bakken throughout 10,232' lateral section. This performance record constrains future completions (perforation placement, fracture height containment) and establishes baseline porosity/fluid saturation expectations for production forecast and reserve booking.
🔧 Operator Pattern
Grayson Mill Operating, LLC (prior operator; now Devon Energy Williston, LLC as transferee) demonstrates portfolio and operational continuity focused on Bakken/Middle Bakken horizontal development in Williams County within Todd Field, with multi-well pad development strategy and formal regulatory compliance procedures.
The Notice of Transfer lists 1,412 wells transferred from Grayson Mill to Devon Energy effective October 31, 2025. The WAGENMAN SOUTH PAD design (sheets dated 2021–2024) shows coordinated development of five horizontal wells (32-29 3H/4H/5H/6H, and 33-28 XE 1H) with shared infrastructure. The operator's pre-spud correspondence (Backbuild Order Waiver letter, July 25, 2024) and multiple pre-approved waivers (tubing/packer variance, log waiver, filter sock exemption) indicate sophisticated regulatory navigation. The APD and sundry submissions are executed by Tori Siemieniewski (Regulatory Advisor) and approved by NDIC permit managers Todd Holweger and Stephen Fried, suggesting consistent operator-regulator working relationship and demonstrated operational maturity.
Confidence: High
The well file contains exhaustive contemporaneous documentation covering all permit-cycle stages: pre-permit APD and sundry applications (dated July–August 2024), permit issuance (August 21, 2024), pre-drill waivers and suspensions (all August 22, 2024; suspension approved March 6, 2025), spud notification (February 25, 2025), real-time directional surveys and geologic reports (March–May 2025), and post-drill operator transfer (October 31, 2025). No significant temporal gaps exist between regulatory actions and supporting documentation. All key permit conditions—setbacks, closed mud systems, remote shutoffs, field order stipulations—are explicitly stated in the APD and cross-referenced in sundry approvals. The directional survey certifications (Mesa West and Total Directional Services) confirm actual well geometry against planned trajectory. The Form 15 transfer and new bonding (RLI Insurance, Bond CMS0358791) clearly establish operator succession and ongoing regulatory accountability. The operator's self-notification assertion regarding the Backbuild Order (July 25, 2024) is reasonable given stated control of both the subject and adjacent units, though the claim is not independently verified in the file. Overall, all material permit-cycle signals are explained by documented regulatory actions or technical submissions, with no evidence of unexplained gaps or inconsistencies.