Where have oil and/or gas wells been drilled under the Great Lakes in the past?
Oil and gas resources under the Great Lakes have been accessed in the past by both the United States and in Canada. Reserves under the Great Lakes may be accessed offshore via vertical drilling or onshore via directional or horizontal drilling. Vertical wells are drilled directly into the lake bottom and extended vertically downward. Directional and horizontal wells are first drilled on the shore and then extended under the lake via an angled boring. Approximately 2,200 vertical gas extraction wells have been drilled in Canada under Lake Erie since 1913, and 13 oil and gas wells have been drilled in Michigan under Lake Michigan and Lake Huron via horizontal drilling since 1979. [BACK] • What is the Great Lakes Basin? The Great Lakes Basin includes all of the Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario) and their respective drainage basins. Portions of the Great Lakes Basin are located in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and
