PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP: Eureka Resources Submits Plan To Cleanup, Close All 3 Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facilities, Remove 4.6 Million Gallons Of Wastewater Left In Lycoming & Bradford County Facilities

On September 12, the Department of Environmental Protection said it was reviewing a memo submitted by Eureka Resources LLC outlining a plan for cleaning up and closing all three of its oil and gas wastewater treatment facilities and safely removing over 4.6 million gallons of untreated waste and wastewater left in the plants.

The August 23 Eureka Resources memo proposes a two-month "clean closure" schedule covering all three facilities that will meet the closure requirements under state Residual Waste Regulations.

Eureka said 2,100,000 gallons of wastewater will have to be removed from its Standing Stone Treatment Plant in Bradford County, 1,470,000 gallons from its Catawissa Avenue facility and 1,050,000 gallons from its Second Street facility in Williamsport, Lycoming County.

Most of this waste has been sitting around for more than a year without treatment, according to DEP enforcement orders. Read more here.

DEP Northcentral Regional Office spokesperson Megan Lehman said "none of the stored material has been removed from the Eureka sites. Eureka and DEP have discussed available options under the applicable regulations, which include reuse of the material or disposal at a permitted disposal site."

After removing the waste and cleaning up the facility to the satisfaction of DEP, Eureka said it “will then proceed with obtaining formal closure of the bonds in place for each facility, including submittal of all required documentation to the PADEP.”

This latest action follows an August 17 spill from Eureka’s Second Street facility that released an estimated 16,000 gallons of oil and oil and gas wastewater, some of which found its way into the Susquehanna River. Read more here.

It also follows years of other enforcement actions taken by DEP in an attempt to get Eureka Resources to comply with waste, storage tank and other environmental laws and regulations at its facilities. Read more here.

Inspection Reports

DEP also released five more inspection reports Friday related to Eureka facilities.

DEP reported, but has not reviewed, Eureka Resources estimates that 8,424 gallons of oil/wastewater had been recovered from the Second Street Facility spill and an estimated 3,000 gallons has not been, meaning a total of 11,430 gallons of waste was released at the facility during the incident on August 17. Read more here.

DEP said it is also investigating locations at the Second Street Facility to determine if wastewater was still actively leaking from the facility. Read more here.

Here are the new inspection reports DEP released--

-- September 2, 2025 Waste Inspection Report - Second Street Facility

-- September 4, 2025 Waste Inspection Report - Second Street Facility

-- September 5, 2025 Waste Inspection Report - Second Street Facility

-- September 9, 2025 Waste Inspection Report - Second Street Facility

-- September 11, 2025 Waste Inspection Report - Second Street Facility

Report Violations

To report oil and gas violations or any environmental emergency or complaint, visit DEP’s Environmental Complaint webpage.

Text photos and the location of abandoned wells to 717-788-8990.

Check These Resources

Visit DEP’s Compliance Reporting Database and Inspection Reports Viewer webpages to search their compliance records by date and owner.

Sign up for DEP’s eNOTICE service which sends you information on oil and gas and other permits submitted to DEP for review in your community.

Use DEP’s Oil and Gas Mapping Tool to find if there are oil and gas wells near or on your property and to find wells using latitude and longitude on well inspection reports.

(Photos: Cleanup continuing at Second Street Facility; Hole in Second Street Facility wall DEP is investigating for continuing leaks.)

Resource Links:

-- DEP Issues New Order To Eureka Resources To Remove Oil & Gas Wastewater From Its Bradford County Facility In 90 Days; Imposes Penalty $6,100 For Not Complying With January Order; Updates On Other Facilities [PaEN]

-- DEP: An Estimated 16,000 Gallons Of 'Black Goop' Spills From Closed Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant In Williamsport, Reaching Susquehanna River [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Sept. 6 to 12 - Disposing Of 4.6 Million Gallons Of Oil & Gas Wastewater; 18,000 Gallon Drilling Spill; Failure To Restore Pipeline Right-Of-Way - Again [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - September 13 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 82 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In September 13 PA Bulletin [PaEN]