DEP: Frontier Natural Resources Shale Gas Driller Failed To Restore 4 Multimillion Gallon Water Impoundments, 4 Well Pads For 3,252 Days In Clinton County

On June 8, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection inspected the Winner 1, Winner 2, Winner 4H and Winner 6 shale gas well pads and 4 multimillion gallon shale gas water impoundments in East and West Keating Townships, Clinton County owned by Frontier Natural Resources and found the pad and impoundments had not been restored.

The original violations for failure to restore the impoundments and the well pads within 9 months after drilling was completed on the pad were issued on July 14, 2017-- 3,252 days ago, nearly 9 years ago.

In an August 14, 2017  response to the violations at that time, the owner did not address the restoration of the impoundment, but promised -- “our intent is to come into compliance and meet all regulations.”

DEP inspection reports on well pad and impoundments: Winner 2 Impoundment 1 [DEP inspection report], Winner 2 Impoundment 2 [DEP inspection report], Winner 6 Impoundment 3 [DEP inspection report]

Frontier also failed to restore the Winner 4H well pad and impoundments in West Keating Township with violations originally issued on July 14, 2017. [DEP inspection report]

DEP also continued violations issued on July 14, 2017 for failure to fully restore the Winner 1 shale gas well pad and failure to install long-term post construction erosion and sedimentation controls. [DEP inspection report]

DEP sent copies of the inspection reports to Frontier.

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: DEP inspection report photo of four unrestored Frontier shale gas water impoundments.)

[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.]

Related Articles This Week:

-- PennLive: Attorney General Sunday Files Criminal Charges Against Eureka Resources For Oil & Gas Wastewater Leaks From Its Now Closed Standing Stone Facility In Wysox Twp., Bradford County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Investigation Finds CNX Gas Company LLC Shale Gas Facilities Caused The ‘Diminution’ Of 2 Private Water Supplies In Bell Twp., Westmoreland County  [PaEN]  

-- DEP: Frontier Natural Resources Shale Gas Driller Failed To Restore 4 Multimillion Gallon Water Impoundments, 4 Well Pads For 3,252 Days In Clinton County  [PaEN]  

-- House Committee Moves Bills To Prohibit Road Dumping Contaminated Groundwater Released By Conventional Oil & Gas Well Drilling; Setting Minimum Standards For Power Plant Community Benefit Agreements; Encouraging Native Insect Habitats  [PaEN] 

-- State Budget Brief: DEP Oil & Gas Program Enforcement & Permitting Staff Has Been Frozen For Last 10 Years, Meanwhile Drilled Shale Gas Wells Increased By Nearly 50%  [PaEN]

-- Independent Fiscal Office Estimates 2025 Act 13 Drilling Impact Fee To Yield $243.9 Million, $79.3 Million More Than In 2024  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- The Street: New Fortress Energy LNG Gas Bankruptcy Splits Company Into 2 Different Entities -CoreCo And BrazilCo, Records Show It Never Generated A Cent Of Positive Cash Flow [Planned PA Facilities] 

-- Institute For Energy Economics & Financial Analysis: New Fortress Energy LNG Gas Company Bankruptcy Reveals Financial Misstatements, Systemic Mismanagement, Operational Failures [Planned PA Facilities]

[Posted: June 10, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

PennLive: Attorney General Sunday Files Criminal Charges Against Eureka Resources For Oil & Gas Wastewater Leaks From Its Now Closed Standing Stone Facility In Wysox Twp., Bradford County

On June 9, John Beauge reported on PennLive.com Attorney General Sund filed criminal charges against Eureka Resources for oil and gas wastewater leaks from its Standing Stone Facility in Wysox Township, Bradford County, one of three now closed treatment facilities owned by the company..

Eureka is charged with seven counts of criminally violating three different sections of the Solid Waste Management Act. 

The accusations include--

-- Permitting wastewater to leak from tanks and containment areas on Feb. 6, Oct. 4 and Dec. 12, 2023, Sept. 4, 2024, and Jan. 29, 2025.

-- Allowing leachate from a roll-off and runoff from a pile of salt and soil to get onto the ground.

-- Operating a storage facility without a permit by storing wastewater for more than a year.

-- Turning off high-level alarms that prevent tanks from overtopping.

-- Failing to comply with DEP’s Jan. 29, 2025, consent order to empty tanks that had been leaking since February 2023.

-- Failing to comply with DEP’s Sept. 2, 2025, administrative order to remove all waste from the Standing Stone facility within 30 days. As of May 7, 126,000 gallons remained in a tank.

PennLive reported a vice president of operations is quoted in the arrest affidavit as saying finances at Eureka were slipping every year. 

The price it was paid for processing wastewater [from shale gas drilling and production operations] had dropped from $10 to $12 a barrel to $6 and $7, he said.

The Standing Stone Facility was shut down in July 2024 and deserted with all the equipment and full wastewater tanks left unsecured.  The telephone was disconnected.  Read more here.

The company shut down in the summer of 2024.

Background

This is the latest in a series of actions taken against Eureka Resources and the three oil and gas wastewater treatment facilities it owns in Lycoming and Bradford counties.

The Department of Environmental Protection issued a series of orders and violations to Eureka Resources requiring the removal and cleanup of millions of gallons of wastewater from its facilities. Read more here.

Most recently, DEP filed a contempt of court action in Commonwealth Court and penalized Eureka Resources $100,000 for multiple violations at the facilities for failing to comply with DEP orders. Read more here.

Last August, a spill of 16,000 gallons of wastewater called “black goop” by local fisherman from its Second Street Plant in Williamsport made its way into the Susquehanna River. Read more here.

DEP issued multiple violations to Eureka Resources for each of its facilities dating back to at least 2023.

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.

In December 2023, former employees of Eureka Resources asked for a criminal investigation of the company and its operations for alleged workplace and environmental violations.  Read more here.

Click Here for the full article.

Resource Links: Eureka Resources:

-- DEP Files Contempt Of Court Action, Fines Eureka Resources $100,000 For Multiple Violations At Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facilities In Bradford, Lycoming Counties [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Eureka Resources Has Until Jan. 31 To Remove All Wastewater From Its 3 Closed Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plants; About 1.5 Million Gallons Of Wastewater Remains In Bradford County Facility  [PaEN]

--  DEP Proposes To Deny Eureka Resources Water Quality Permit Renewal For Standing Stone Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facility In Bradford County [PaEN]

-- 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 [PaEN]

-- 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]

--  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

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

-- 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]

Related Articles This Week:

-- PennLive: Attorney General Sunday Files Criminal Charges Against Eureka Resources For Oil & Gas Wastewater Leaks From Its Now Closed Standing Stone Facility In Wysox Twp., Bradford County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Investigation Finds CNX Gas Company LLC Shale Gas Facilities Caused The ‘Diminution’ Of 2 Private Water Supplies In Bell Twp., Westmoreland County  [PaEN]  

-- DEP: Frontier Natural Resources Shale Gas Driller Failed To Restore 4 Multimillion Gallon Water Impoundments, 4 Well Pads For 3,252 Days In Clinton County  [PaEN]  

-- House Committee Moves Bills To Prohibit Road Dumping Contaminated Groundwater Released By Conventional Oil & Gas Well Drilling; Setting Minimum Standards For Power Plant Community Benefit Agreements; Encouraging Native Insect Habitats  [PaEN] 

-- State Budget Brief: DEP Oil & Gas Program Enforcement & Permitting Staff Has Been Frozen For Last 10 Years, Meanwhile Drilled Shale Gas Wells Increased By Nearly 50%  [PaEN]

-- Independent Fiscal Office Estimates 2025 Act 13 Drilling Impact Fee To Yield $243.9 Million, $79.3 Million More Than In 2024  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- The Street: New Fortress Energy LNG Gas Bankruptcy Splits Company Into 2 Different Entities -CoreCo And BrazilCo, Records Show It Never Generated A Cent Of Positive Cash Flow [Planned PA Facilities] 

-- Institute For Energy Economics & Financial Analysis: New Fortress Energy LNG Gas Company Bankruptcy Reveals Financial Misstatements, Systemic Mismanagement, Operational Failures [Planned PA Facilities]

[Posted: June 10, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

Foundation For Pennsylvania Watersheds Awards More Than $300,000 In Conservation Grants; Next Funding Opportunities

On June 9, the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds announced more than $300,000 in grant awards to advance the protection and restoration of Pennsylvania’s waterways. 

Awardees will use the funds to improve water quality and enhance ecosystems across the state through stream restoration, land protection, water quality monitoring, and outreach and education projects. 

Together, these projects are anticipated to conserve more than 600 acres, engage more than 600 volunteers, plant more than 2,000 trees, and improve more than 22 miles of streams.

“Across the state, Pennsylvania nonprofits and conservation districts are working hard to address environmental issues that affect all residents,” said Executive Director Deborah Nardone. “FPW is proud to support these projects, from dam removals and riparian buffer plantings to educating professionals and community members about important issues.” 

FPW is awarding the following 22 conservation project grants for a total of $304,300: 

-- American Rivers, $20,000 – Feasibility study for removing New Cumberland Dam while maintaining municipal water supply.

-- American Rivers, $10,000 – Riffle repair at the former Oakland Dam site to improve paddler safety and fish passage.

-- Berks Nature, $10,000 – Supporting four watershed associations in Berks County through education, restoration, and water quality testing.

-- Centre County PA Senior Environmental Corps, $2,500 – Continued water quality monitoring in Centre County streams.

-- Chesapeake Legal Alliance, $15,000 – Maximizing ecological impact of the $341M Conowingo Dam settlement for the Lower Susquehanna.

-- Clean Air Council, $10,000 – Building capacity of the Naamans, Marcus Hook, and Stoney Creek Watersheds Alliance to protect Delaware River sub-watersheds.

-- ClearWater Conservancy, $25,000 – Conservation easement on 153-acre East Branch Creek property.

-- Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, $15,000 – Operating AML-Connect, a collaboration platform for Pennsylvania's abandoned mine land reclamation community.

-- Foundation for Sustainable Forests, $10,000 – Fee purchase of 428 forested acres in Mercer and Venango Counties for conservation.

-- Kingsley Township, $10,000 – Bank stabilization along Tionesta Creek to reduce erosion and sediment.

-- Mountain Watershed Association, $15,000 – Purchase of 9.75 forested and wetland acres adjacent to MWA's office in Melcroft.

-- Nanty Glo Water Authority, $20,000 – Source water assessment of Williams Run Reservoir to identify remediation strategies.

-- National Aviary Pittsburgh, $20,000 – Investigating PFAS exposure and food web transfer in Louisiana Waterthrush along headwater streams.

-- National Wildlife Federation, $15,000 – Choose Clean Water Coalition outreach to educate decision-makers on clean water policies statewide.

-- Pennsylvania Trout, Inc., $15,000 – Coldwater Heritage Partnership supporting coldwater ecosystem conservation organizations statewide.

-- Riverlife, $15,000 – Floating wetland gardens on the Allegheny River to improve water quality and support native species.

-- Somerset Conservation District, $20,000 – Improve aquatic passage on North Fork Bens Creek.

-- Watershed Alliance of York, $6,800 – Design and permitting for Myers Mill Dam removal on Codorus Creek.

-- Watersheds of South Pittsburgh, $10,000 – Water quality and habitat monitoring for Saw Mill Run.

-- Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, $15,000 – AMD training class for nonprofit watershed community members.

-- Wildlands Conservancy, $10,000 – Riparian buffer restoration along 15 acres of Lehigh Valley waterways.

-- Wildlife Leadership Academy, $15,000 – Training high school youth as Conservation Ambassadors in wildlife and fisheries conservation.

The total combined cost for these projects is more than $6 million, underscoring the power and potential of environmental and conservation partnerships across the Commonwealth.

Unassessed Waters Initiative

Additionally, FPW awarded more than $140,000 to nine colleges, universities, and nonprofits involved in the Unassessed Waters Initiative. 

This partnership between FPW and the Fish and Boat Commission engages colleges, universities, and nongovernment organizations to document the presence or absence of wild trout populations in previously unassessed waterways of Pennsylvania. 

Since its inception, nearly 40,000 stream miles have been assessed, with 17,529 miles of stream upgraded to wild trout waters. 

Raccoon Creek Benefit Fund

Also this year, FPW launched the Raccoon Creek Benefit Fund, a new grant program to support community-led efforts to restore, preserve, and protect water quality in the Raccoon Creek watershed. 

This opportunity is a result of a consent decree following a complaint filed by the Department of Environmental Protection, PennEnvironment, and Three Rivers Waterkeeper regarding the discharge of polystyrene pellets (nurdles) into Raccoon Creek. 

Nonprofit organizations, local watershed and friends groups, conservation districts, municipal or government entities, higher educational institutions, and more can now apply for grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, depending on the type and scale of the project.

Click Here to learn how to apply.

Next Round Of Grants

FPW provides matching grant funds to both small and large groups and organizations throughout the Commonwealth. 

Through FPW’s grantmaking, assistance is provided to conservation organizations to achieve their restoration goals, while ensuring enough clean water for future generations of Pennsylvania children, families and wildlife. 

The next conservation grant application cycle opens this summer with a first-stage deadline of Sept. 18, 2026. 

To learn more, visit the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds website. 

[Posted: June 9, 2026]  PA Environment Digest