Kyle Handy, a representative of Twin Rivers Exploration, briefed the Wright County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 20 about the company’s planned exploratory drilling for subsurface hydrogen between Clarion and Belmont.

The company said it is in the final stages of survey work and intends to submit a well permit to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “Our goal is to have all approvals in place and to begin drilling or spudding the well before the end of the year,” Handy said.

Why it matters: the project would involve constructing a roughly 4-acre pad close to Highway 69, heavy-haul truck movements for rig mobilization, round-the-clock drilling for part of the work and testing of rock, water and gas samples that could take months to fully analyze. The company said drilling would reach approximately 10,000 feet and that drilling operations are expected to take 20–30 days, followed by about a week of downhole testing.

What Twin Rivers described: Gabe Mueller, engineering manager for Twin Rivers, said pad construction would begin in mid-November and take “3 to 5 weeks depending on weather.” Mueller said the initial pad-build work would be daylight-only, followed by mobilization of the rig. “Actual drilling operations are expected to begin in the December. Drilling is anticipated to be complete by the January,” he said. The company said it expects approximately two months of on-site operations overall, with one of those months including 24/7 rig activity.

Water, waste and site restoration: Mueller said the operation will need water on location for drilling mud and cuttings removal. He told the board the company typically hauls an initial volume of water and that “we will need, water on location.” Twin Rivers also said it would not reinject used drilling water into the subsurface and that it will arrange for a wastewater facility to accept used water. The company stated an approximate supply figure in the presentation: “around a thousand to 1,500 barrels,” and noted sample analysis would continue for months after drilling.

Environmental protections and plugging: Mueller described multiple casing strings and cementing across freshwater aquifers and other intervals and said the company will set cement plugs when the well is abandoned to prevent cross flow. On well plugging at prior sites, the company said plugged wells were cut about six feet below the pad prior to topsoil replacement.

Permits and local coordination: Twin Rivers said it will submit the well permit to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and expects the IDNR to coordinate internally with other state departments. The company also said it will pursue a stormwater permit and expects to coordinate with the county on driveway and heavy-haul permits. The board’s drainage and secondary-roads staff asked the company to contact the county drainage clerk to verify nearby tile lines and drainage-district boundaries; Twin Rivers acknowledged it had not yet contacted the drainage administrator but agreed to do so.

Community impacts and mitigation: The company said pad construction will be near Highway 69, with the initial construction in daylight only. Once the rig arrives, the company expects some 24/7 activity. Mueller acknowledged that on-site generators are typically the loudest equipment and described prior sound surveys indicating noise falls off with distance; the company said it performed a sound study for previous wells in Vincent and worked with nearby landowners. Twin Rivers also said it reuses granular material from prior sites and offered excess gravel to neighboring counties when available.

Remaining questions and follow-up: Supervisors asked about drainage-district impacts, exact pad coordinates, hauling routes for equipment above 80,000 pounds and the destination for drilling wastewater. Twin Rivers said it will provide construction surveys and will coordinate permits with county staff, the drainage clerk and the state as the project advances.

Provenance: The board discussion and Twin Rivers presentation began when the county called Kyle Handy forward for an update and concluded after questions about noise, hauling permits and water handling were answered.

Ending: Twin Rivers said it will continue to inform the county ‘‘at each stage of the work as it moves forward’’ and to provide follow-up materials requested by county staff.