PA Environment Digest Blog: Eureka Resources Shuts Down Standing Stone Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facility; DEP Wastewater, Waste Violations Continue From Feb. 2023

Friday, August 23, 2024

Eureka Resources Shuts Down Standing Stone Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facility; DEP Wastewater, Waste Violations Continue From Feb. 2023

On August 19, the Department of Environmental Protection inspected the Eureka Resources Standing Stone oil and gas wastewater treatment plant in Standing Stone Township, Bradford County and found the plant shut down and all the workers were laid off in July.

The telephone number at the plant has been disconnected.

DEP’s Waste Management inspection report included violations for unresolved wastewater leaks at the plant dating back to February 2023 and violations for other problems.

Eureka Resources also holds an NPDES water quality permit and Air Quality permit for the facility.

On August 23, Marcellus Drilling News reported Eureka Resources plans to close or sell two of its oil and gas wastewater treatment plants in Williamsport and downsize its operations to only one facility-- its Standing Stone Treatment Facility in Bradford County. Read more here.

We now also know, closing the Standing Stone Plant came at the same time Eureka Resources submitted a request to DEP on July 15 to terminate the water quality permit for a new oil and gas wastewater plant in Dimock, Susquehanna County.

Eureka cited “commercial factors” for terminating the permit. DEP granted the request on July 24. Read more here.

In September, 2022, a worker at the plant was killed and Eureka Resources was fined by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration for safety violations. Read more here.

Eureka Resources was awarded a $1.5 million state Redevelopment Assistance Grant in 2019 to double the Standing Stone plant’s capacity. Read more here.

DEP’s Inspection Report

Bob Cooney, Vice President of Operations at Eureka Resources, was present during the August 19 DEP inspection and said, according to DEP’s inspection report, a large customer ceased sending their wastewater to the plant and as a result all employees at the plant were laid off as of approximately July 30.

The company said “someone is onsite typically everyday or every other day to check the site and contaminants for new issues.”

“Currently nothing is coming in or going out and the facility is only being monitored for containment pumping.”

The inspection report noted all the storage tanks at the site are “mostly full” and the [salt] crystallizer was not running at all.

The plant has a capacity to pre-treat up to 336,000 gallons of wastewater per day. During April, May and June, the company reported to DEP the plant took in 4,598,118 gallons of wastewater.

DEP’s inspection said a large “T-33” storage tank “that had the spill back in February 2023 still has water in it and is now at 19.92 feet or about 38% full.

The inspection report summarized the situation this way-- “T-33 contains wastewater and has no functioning containment, tanks in [the] facility leaking.”

“With the plant being essentially shuttered for the time being there is little to no progress with emptying this tank currently. The tank is still in need of repair to fix whatever leak is occurring in the primary tank so it can be put back into normal service.”

DEP inspected the outside of the plant where “excavation and sampling occurred for the spill in April [2024], but Mr. Cooney was not aware of the outcome.”

“Rainwater is getting pumped from the contaminants as needed. The T-tank containment had several inches of water and some oil floating on top. There was once again a seep in the containment wall leaking wastewater to the ground.”

DEP’s inspection report included state Solid Waste Management Act violations that remain open for waste on the ground and other violations of the permit.

The report concluded by saying-- “The Department recommends attempting to identify and empty any leaking tanks so that wastewater is not continually leaking onto the building floor, get T-33 emptied and repaired, and repair the leaking T-tank containment wall.”

Questions To Ask

There are many questions to be asked about the future of this plant and how it needs to be made safe now.

First and foremost, is Eureka Resources abandoning this facility?

How much wastewater and solid waste is now at the facility? How radioactive is it? Does it present an environmental or health hazard and does it need to be treated and disposed of off-site?

Are there any continuing untreated discharges of wastewater from the facility, since treatment facilities are not operating and the discharge from the plant goes directly into the Susquehanna River?

DEP’s inspection report says contaminated rainwater is being collected, but does not say how it is treated or disposed of or if it is simply being stored.

Is the facility secure? Is there a gate and perimeter fence that prevents public access to the waste, wastewater and equipment at the site that could present environmental, health or safety hazards.

During April, May and June, the company reported to DEP the plant took in 4,598,118 gallons of wastewater. Can other facilities safely handle that volume?

Will this mean an increase in road dumping oil and gas wastewater?

What will happen to the $1.5 million state Redevelopment Assistance Grant awarded in 2019 for the Standing Stone Plant? Read more here.

These are just a few of the questions.

Reason For Concern

Another Pennsylvania oil and gas wastewater company-- Austin Master Services - American Environmental Partners-- was recently the subject of legal action by the Ohio Attorney General for abandoning an oil and gas waste and wastewater treatment plant in Martins Ferry, Ohio. Read more here.

The company stopped paying its vendors, laid off its employees and abandoned the site.

It left behind at least 3,200 tons of radioactive waste, 95,000 tons of non-radioactive waste and at least 50,000 gallons of wastewater that may cost over $3.2 million to clean up. Read more here.

EPA is also spending $3.1 million to clean up the former Fairmont Oil and Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant in Fairmont, West Virginia that also includes radioactive materials. Read more here.

With the shale gas industry dramatically cutting natural gas development activities in an attempt to boost gas prices, more and more related businesses and industries may close their operations and leave taxpayers to pick up the pieces-- again. Read more here.

(Thank you to Sen. Katie Muth (D-Chester) for providing the initial information on the closing of the Standing Stone Plant.)

Resource Links - Eureka Resources:

-- Eureka Resources Shuts Down Standing Stone Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facility; DEP Wastewater, Waste Violations Continue From Feb. 2023 [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Eureka Resources Plans To Close/Sell 2 Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plants In Williamsport: Not Enough Wastewater Volume To Keep Plants Open [PaEN]

-- Eureka Resources Request To Terminate Its Water Quality Permit For A Proposed Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facility In Dimock, Susquehanna County Approved By DEP [PaEN]

-- Former Employees Of Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Company Ask For Criminal Investigation Of Eureka And An Audit Of DEP Over Alleged Workplace, Environmental Violations [PaEN]

-- Rocket-Courier: Sayre Man Killed At Eureka Resources Standing Stone Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant [September, 2022]

-- Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration Report On Worker Death.

-- Eureka Resources Extracted 97% Pure Lithium Carbonate Used In Making Lithium-ion Batteries From Oil & Gas Wastewater [PaEN]

-- Gov. Wolf Announces Redevelopment Assistance Project Grants, Including $30.4 Million For 20 Environmental, Recreation, Energy Projects [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 17 to 23 - Failure Of Casing During Fracking; 46 Day Delay In Water Compliant Notice; Closing 3 Wastewater Treatment Facilities; 40 More Abandoned Conventional Wells [PaEN]