PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP Discovers Wastewater Spill From Conventional Oil/Gas Well That Could Be Seen On Google Earth In Armstrong County As A Result Of A Complaint

On September 17, 2024, DEP conducted an inspection of the Carpentertown Coal & Coke 25 conventional well in Pine Township, Armstrong County owned by Murphy Production, Inc. in response to a complaint to the PA Emergency Management Agency who forwarded it to DEP.

The report said a 2,000 gallon wastewater storage tank “had been struck by bullets and was leaking produced fluids onto the ground. The reporting party stated that it was first noticed on June 24, 2024.”

“The reporting party was at the spill location recently and noticed that the spill had still not been addressed, which prompted their complaint submittal.”

“It needs to be noted that the aerial photograph from Google Earth dated June 15, 2024, shows the spill clearly.”

[From these dates, the wastewater tank could have been leaking for 90 days or more.]

DEP was in contact with the well owner who said contaminated soil had been removed from the site and the tank repaired, but the area was not seeded

The DEP inspector said it could not be determined whether the contaminated soil had been removed, but the soil appeared to be clean.

The wastewater tank was not connected to the well at the time of the inspection.

[The well owner did not indicate where the contaminated soil was taken for disposal or provide a bill of lading or an estimate of how much wastewater was released.]

DEP’s eFACTS database shows Murphy Production holds 255 permits for conventional oil and gas wells, all of them active.

DEP’s inspection report included violations for not reporting the release to DEP and for the spill and requested the owner to submit a plan by October 8, 2024 on how the well site will be brought into compliance.

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 webpage to search their compliance records by date and owner 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.

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.

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