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The number of oil and gas wells abandoned by industry has expanded dramatically as depressed commodity prices forced operators into bankruptcy.

Alberta’s inventory of wells without an owner financially capable of cleaning them up roughly doubled this year to 1,400, a clear indicator of the turmoil that rattled Alberta during the recession.

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The surge means taxpayers will be on the hook to pay landowners annual rents to compensate them for use of their properties until the sites are returned to a natural state.

And property owners are seeking compensation in record numbers.

“We’re just dealing with the tip of the iceberg,” said Daryl Bennett, director of the Alberta Surface Rights Federation, adding the tally of abandoned wells doesn’t include licences involved in bankruptcy proceedings or those still being processed by the energy regulator.

So far, the Orphan Well Association — the industry-funded group responsible for cleaning up old wells abandoned by operators — has been struggling to keep up with demand.