PA Environment Digest Blog: Citizen Complaint Results In Discovery Of An Unreported Crude Oil Spill Affecting Over 2,400 Feet Of Stream At A Cameron Energy Conventional Well Site In Forest County

A citizen complaint to DEP's 800-541-2050 Emergency Telephone Number resulted in an April 14 inspection of the Haight 6P conventional oil well site owned by Cameron Energy that found an unreported leaking crude oil gathering pipeline affecting over 2,400 feet of streams in Howe Township Forest County.

A DEP inspector was onsite at 2:20 p.m., according to the April 14 inspection report, and noted DEP had not received any notification of the release of crude oil from the company.

On April 14, the inspector found crude oil along the entire visible length of Reagan Run while standing on the SR 666 bridge.

Two Cameron Energy vac trucks were parked on the roadside and employees were placing oil containment materials into Reagan Run. Containment booms had been placed in several locations from the bridge, Southward to the confluence of Tionesta Creek.

An oil sheen was visible on the Tionesta creek, for approximately 900 feet downstream (West) of the confluence. Visible crude oil had pooled in debris in the creek along this same 900 foot stretch.

The inspector followed Reagan Run upstream for about 1,000 feet to a spring seep and found crude oil along the entire length of the stream.

At the spring seep, a large pool of crude oil was observed on the ground and flowing in the spring itself.

The inspector followed the spring seep uphill for about 300 feet to the Haight 6P conventional oil well site.

Crude oil was observed flowing out of a sluice pipe under the access road to the well. The discharge from the sluice pipe entered the spring seep.

On the well site, Cameron Energy employees had excavated an oil gathering pipeline from the well and stopped the flow of crude oil.

The DEP inspector said it appears a gathering pipeline has ruptured below grade, allowing crude oil to make its way to surface, down a roadside ditch into the sluice pipe, down a spring seep into Reagan Run, and ultimately into the Tionesta Creek.

Total impacted waterway is approximately 2,400 feet.

The April 14 inspection report noted violations for--

-- Failure to notify DEP of the spill/release

-- Discharging industrial waste into waters of the Commonwealth

-- Failed to control and dispose of fluids and residual waste to prevention pollution

-- Failing to collect brine and other fluids produced during the operation of a well

On April 17, DEP wrote a letter to Cameron Energy requesting a written response to the violations and the incident by May 1, according to the April 14 inspection report. The letter includes copies of photos taken during the inspection on April 14.

The April 14 inspection report also requires the company to describe “how you intend to remediate the spill or release identified above and demonstrate attainment with an Act 2 [Land Recycling Program]” cleanup standard.

DEP is now monitoring cleanup efforts in the areas affected by the spill.

Cameron Energy had a similar release due to a crude oil gathering pipeline failure at the USFS KL2 Well [U.S. Forest Service] in Mead Township, Warren County on March 23, 2023. [DEP inspection report with photos.]

Cameron was also required to show how it intends to remediate the spill through attainment of the Act 2 cleanup standard.

However, in the company’s response to the notice of violation they said--

“Cameron does not intend follow Act 2 related to this spill at a conventional well site but will use the alternative remediation option to remediate this spill.”

“Absorbents are being used to collect crude oil and remaining pockets of oil are being flushed toward collection points (underflow dams). Collection points are being monitored and oil removed from same; all deployed booms are checked daily.”

“Restoration of the well site will be accomplished by seeding and mulching.”

Cameron Energy says they operate about 1,700 conventional wells in Northcentral Pennsylvania.

PA Oil & Gas Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - April 8 to 14; Shale Gas Drillers Create New Brownfields, 8 Wells Found With Defective Casing/Cementing [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - April 15 [PaEN]

-- How Chesapeake Appalachia Created Another New Shale Gas Brownfield In Bradford County; Timberline Energy Plugs Its Abandoned Conventional Gas Wells In Venango County [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Compliance Reports

-- Feature: 60 Years Of Fracking, 20 Years Of Shale Gas: Pennsylvania’s Oil & Gas Industrial Infrastructure Is Hiding In Plain Sight [PaEN]

-- Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Failed To File Annual Production/Waste Generation Reports For 61,655 Wells; Attorney General Continues Investigation Of Road Dumping Wastewater [PaEN]

-- DEP Issued 754 Notices Of Violation For Defective Oil & Gas Well Casing, Cementing, The Fundamental Protection Needed To Prevent Gas Migration, Groundwater & Air Contamination, Explosions [PaEN]

-- DEP Report Finds: Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Routinely Abandon Wells; Fail To Report How Millions Of Gallons Of Waste Is Disposed; And Non-Compliance Is An ‘Acceptable Norm’ [PaEN]

-- DEP 2021 Oil & Gas Program Annual Report Shows Conventional Oil & Gas Operators Received A Record 610 Notices Of Violation For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them [PaEN]