The source of the water withdrawal was the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County Beaver Run Reservoir in Bell and Washington Townships, Westmoreland County.
The reservoir is designated a High Quality-Cold Water Fishery by DEP.
CNX self-reported the violations on July 14, 2023 and “took immediate steps to prevent any future non-compliance withdrawals.”
DEP’s review of the incidents found the company’s permission for water withdrawals at the Beaver Run Reservoir-- Water Management Plan, Source 35, Collection Point 2-- had expired.
The company said, “CNX is currently awaiting approval of both the WMP [Water Management Plan] and Joint [Chapter 105] Permit Application for the Reservoir, which were submitted in February and May respectively.”
DEP published notice of an opportunity to comment on a proposed Chapter 105 permit application from CNX Gas for construction of a permanent, submerged water withdrawal intake in the Beaver Run Reservoir on September 2, 2023.
The comment period ended October 2. (PA Bulletin, page 5550)
DEP’s notice of violation asked the company to submit a written plan on how they will return the situation to compliance within 10 business days.
New Olympus Energy Withdrawal Structures
On October 7, the Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the PA Bulletin that it is now accepting public comments on a proposed Chapter 105 permit and Section 401 Water Quality Certification for two proposed Olympus Energy, LLC water withdrawal structures in the Beaver Run Reservoir in Westmoreland County to be used to support shale natural gas development. (PA Bulletin, page 6242) Read more here.
Report Violations
To report oil and gas violations or any environmental emergency or complaint, visit DEP’s Environmental Complaint webpage.
Check These Resources
Visit DEP’s Compliance Reporting Database webpage to search their compliance records by date and operator and the Inspection Reports Viewer.
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.
Resource Links:
-- ProtectPA: Shale Gas Infrastructure Around The Beaver Run Reservoir; Pressure Spike Incident
-- Mountain Watershed Association: More Well Drilling May Jeopardize Drinking Water For 130,000
NewsClip - Beaver Run Reservoir:
-- TribLive: Westmoreland Water Authority, CNX Gas Reach $600,000 Settlement In Dispute Over Royalties From Dozens Of Gas Wells
-- StateImpactPA - Reid Frazier: DEP Fines CNX For Well Failure Near Westmoreland County Reservoir
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: CNX Reveals Cause Of Shale Gas Well Failure Near Beaver Run Reservoir
-- Shale Directories: CNX Hits Major Problem Fracking Utica Well Near SW PA Reservoir
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Sept. 30 to Oct. 6 -- Company Tries To Limit DEP Investigation; Unauthorized Water Withdrawals; Can’t Pay For Reno Cleanup; Venting Gas Wells; More Abandoned Conventional Wells [PaEN]
-- Repsol Gas USA Issued Violation For Denying DEP Right To Document Damaged Shale Gas Well Casing During Investigation Of Uncontrolled Gas Venting In Bradford County [PaEN]
-- Petro Erie Inc. Again Claims It Lacks The Financial Ability To Comply With DEP’s 2nd Order To Cleanup Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill That Contaminated The Village Of Reno’s Water Supply In Venango County [PaEN]
-- Environmental Hearing Board Will Hear Key Arguments On Appeal By A Washington County Family Alleging Shale Gas Drilling Contaminated Their Water Supply With PFAS And Other Chemicals [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - October 7 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 69 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In October 7 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
NewsClips This Week - Shale Gas:
-- FarmAndDairy.com: Orphan Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Hard To Plug, Despite Influx Of Federal Dollars In PA, OH
-- JD Supra: Repurposing Oil & Gas Wells For Ground-Sourced Heat Energy In PA Raises Multiple Legal Issues
-- AP: PA Chocolate Factory Fined For Failing To Evacuate Before Fatal Natural Gas Explosion
-- TribLive: Car Rally Held To Raise Money For Rustic Ridge Families Impacted By Home Explosion, Fires In Allegheny County
-- TribLive: At 16%, Westmoreland County Tops Local Population Loss Estimates
-- Post-Gazette: Study: Westmoreland County Will Lead Population Decline In Western PA, While Others Will Boom
-- PA Capital-Star: Population Projections Highlight Need For Long-Term Solutions To Sustain Rural PA Communities; Population Expected To Shrink By 5.8%
-- Forbes: How One Contrarian Company [Mostly Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owner Diversified Energy] Thrives In A Shale And Gas World [Check The Company’s Compliance Record In PA ]
-- WOSU: The State Of Natural Gas Development/Fracking In Ohio
-- Observer-Reporter: DEP Secretary To Be Featured Speaker At Washington & Jefferson Hydrogen Seminar
-- TribLive: Columbia Gas Tests Hydrogen Blends In Natural Gas Appliances
Related Articles This Week:
-- House Unanimously Passes Bill Against Lawsuits Aimed At Silencing Citizen Critics And Dampening Public Participation [PaEN]
-- Dickinson College Environmental & Indigenous Rights Honoree Tara Houska: Don’t Disconnect Yourself From The Reality Of Nature; Endless Expansion Of Pipelines Have No Place In Reality; Find Powerful Moments Of Joy [PaEN]
-- DEP Updates Location Of Scranton Public Hearing On Interim Final Environmental Justice Permit Review Policy [PaEN]
-- Member Of Pine Creek Headwaters Protection Group Briefs DCNR Advisory Council On Siting Of Shale Gas Well Pad On State Forest Land To Accommodate Taking Gas From Private Land In Tioga County [PaEN]
-- Agencies Celebrate Eastern Hellbender License Plate Recognizing PA’s Clean Water Ambassador; Shale Gas Development On DCNR Land Threatens Habitat [PaEN]
-- DCNR Announces Appointment Of Seth Cassell As Pennsylvania's 18th State Forester [PaEN]
-- The Allegheny Front: Three Rivers Waterkeeper Citizen Monitoring Finds Plastics Maker Styrenics LLC Discharging Plastic Nurdles Into Ohio River, Threatens Lawsuit To Stop Them - By Reid Frazier [PaEN]
-- PUC: Focus Of Natural Gas Explosion In Port Richmond Section Of Philadelphia Now Inside The Buildings [PaEN]
-- Center For Rural Pennsylvania: Rural Population To Shrink 5.8%; Fewer Young People, More Older People; Current Policies Failed To Sustain Communities, Ensure Long-Term Rural Resiliency [PaEN]
-- PA Interfaith Power & Light 10th Annual Conference- No Faith In Fossil Fuels - Nov. 5: Virtual Keynote & Panel Discussion, 5 Regional Workshop Locations [PaEN]
-- Washington & Jefferson College Hosts Oct. 17 In-Person Harnessing Hydrogen: Exploring Local & Regional Opportunities In Appalachia Program [PaEN]
[Posted: October 6, 2023] PA Environment Digest
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