PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP Issued 2nd Round Of Major Erosion & Sedimentation Violations At Equitrans Water SVC (PA) [EQT] Jaybird Shale Gas Water Impoundment Restoration Site In Washington County

On August 21, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection issued a second round of major erosion and sedimentation violations at the Equitrans Water SVC (PA), LLC [EQT] Jaybird shale gas water impoundment restoration site in Somerset Township, Washington County.

The Jaybird water impoundment site was being filled in and graded to the original contours of the site after its use was discontinued for shale gas development.

The first round of violations were issued on July 7 when DEP was notified of the failure of erosion control measures after a storm event found sediment had overtopped and bypassed filter socks and traveled off the permitted area and down a roadside channel. Read more here.

The August 21 inspection found multiple instances were sediment-ladened stormwater overtopped or nearly overtopped sedimentation control measures.

DEP also documented instances where sediment ran outside the restoration project permit boundary.

When contacted about the violations, Equitrans said there were significant rain events in the area that resulted in 2.5 inches of rainfall.

Violations were issued for the new areas of erosion and sedimentation failures and a response requested by September 11.

Click Here for the DEP inspection report + photos.

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.

Resource Links:

-- DEP - Day 62: Contaminated Water Releases, Polluted Soil At Multiple Locations At Equitrans Water SVC [EQT] Richter Shale Gas Water Impoundment; Little Cleanup Happening In Greene County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Equitrans Water SVC Reports Wastewater Release From Pipeline Connected To Richter Shale Gas Water Impoundment During Reclamation In Aleppo Twp., Greene County; Drainage Pipes Held Together By Duct Tape [PaEN]

[Note: If you believe your company was listed in error, contact DEP’s Oil and Gas Program.]

[Note: These may not be all the NOVs issued to oil and gas companies during this time period. Additional inspection reports may be added to DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database.]

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Snapshot - September 5 to 11

-- DEP: Tank Valve Failure Leads To 4,610 Gallon Spill Of Contaminated Water At XTO Energy Inc. Shale Gas Well Pad In Butler County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Contaminated Water Misting Out Of Storage Tank, Fluid Spill At Expand Operating, LLC Shale Gas Well Pad In Bradford County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Thick Orange Fluid Leaking From Storage Tank At Conventional Gas & Gas Well Site In Monroeville, Allegheny County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Complaint Investigation Finds Conventional Well Venting Gas In A Manner Posing A Safety Risk To Nearby Residence In Mercer County [PaEN]

-- DEP Finds Conventional Well Venting Gas During Investigation Of Leaking Conventional Gas Gathering Line In Unity Twp., Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Drill Cuttings From Conventional Oil & Gas Well Improperly Spread Over Drill Site For Disposal In McKean County [PaEN]

-- DEP - Day 106: Ows Energy Inc. Failed To Cleanup Soil Contaminated By Water From Conventional Gas Well In Crawford County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Pressure Testing Confirms Casing/Cementing Failures In 3 Expand Operating LLC Shale Gas Wells In Bradford County, Including One New Violation [PaEN]

-- DEP Issued 2nd Round Of Major Erosion & Sedimentation Violations At Equitrans Water SVC (PA) [EQT] Jaybird Shale Gas Water Impoundment Restoration Site In Washington County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Site Preparations For Plugging Diversified Production LLC Conventional Gas Well Results In Multiple Erosion & Sedimentation Violations In Fayette County [PaEN]

-- PUC Issues $875,000 Penalty In Settlement With Columbia Gas For 2019/2020 Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Violations In Allegheny, Washington Counties [PaEN]