PA Environment Digest Blog: Daily Grind Living Next To Oil & Gas Industry: Spills, Polluted Water Supplies, Smells Like Gas, Noise, Air Pollution, Explosions, Truck Traffic, Erosion, Radioactive Waste, Gas Flares, Dust, Lights, Road Dumping Waste, Abandoned Wells

One way to better understand the impact the oil and gas industry has on the daily lives of Pennsylvanians is to read Oil and Gas Program inspection reports to see the kinds of violations DEP uncovers every day, week in and week out, as they inspect oil and gas wells and gas infrastructure across the state.

It’s a daily litany of spills, polluted water supplies, smell of natural gas in the air, noise, air pollution, explosions, landslides, truck traffic, radioactive waste, gas flares, erosion problems, dust, lights, road dumping waste, abandoned equipment and wells.

These impacts affect people 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year anywhere there is conventional and unconventional shale gas development.

And, don’t think these are the only problems and violations out there.

DEP finds them everywhere they go to inspect.

And it’s frustrating. You can see how inspectors go back to the same places over and over again because oil and gas well owners fail to take any action to correct violations.

But this is only a tiny fraction-- a glimpse-- of what’s really going on out there because DEP doesn’t get everywhere.

Since November of 2022, PA Environment Digest has reported from DEP’s Oil and Gas inspection reports on the situations DEP uncovers in its inspections and from complaints filed by citizens.

Take the time to just read the headlines of the more comprehensive list of Weekly Compliance Reports at the end of this article to get a better feel of what’s going on.

Examples Of Violations Discovered

Meanwhile here are examples of the kinds of things that make up the daily grind of living with the oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania--

-- Pipeline Blowdowns Lasted 10 Years, Every Day: Shrill blowdowns containing natural gas and hazardous air pollutants at the CNX Oak Springs natural gas pipeline pigging station 1,500 feet from homes in South Franklin Township, Washington County occurred three times a day, seven days a week for nearly 10 years before criminal charges were brought by the Attorney General against the company. Now it happens occasionally. (December 2022) [Read more here]

-- Water Well Shed Explodes: An exploding water well shed triggers DEP investigation of 59+ abandoned conventional wells in Cyclone, McKean County in May 2024. The homeowner is living on hauled water. [Read more here].

-- Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater: Illegal road spreading of conventional oil and gas wastewater continues throughout conventional drilling areas that is literally eating up paved and dirt and gravel roads, causing vehicles to rust out prematurely and adverse health impacts for people living along the many dumping routes [Read more here]. DEP advised 18 municipalities that road dumping oil and gas wastewater is illegal. [Read more here]

-- 86% Noncompliance: DEP reports 86% of conventional oil and gas well owners failed to submit annual production, waste generation and waste disposal reports for 2023. [Read more here]

-- 89% Noncompliance: DEP reports 89% of conventional oil and gas well owners failed to submit annual well integrity reports for 2023. [Read more here]

-- Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Culture Of Noncompliance: A first-ever review of conventional oil and gas well owner compliance by DEP found owners routinely abandon wells, fail to report how they dispose of millions of gallons of wastewater and have a culture of non-compliance in December 2022. [Read more here]

-- 575 Water Supply Complaints In 2 Years: DEP reports in 2023 and 2024 the agency received 575 water supply/stray gas complaints and it often takes a year or 2 or 3 to find the company responsible.. [Read more here]

-- Waiting 20 Years For Permanent Replacement Water: 20 years after their drinking water wells were contaminated by fracking done by Cabot Oil & Gas (now Coterra Energy), a permanent replacement water supply has been located in Dimock Township, Susquehanna County in March 2025 and PA American Water hopes to connect homeowners to public water in 2026. Affected residents have been living on hauled water. [Read more here]

-- Wastewater Spill Takes Out Small Public Water Supply: 20 months without a permanent replacement water supply for the spring contaminated by a conventional oil well wastewater spill in the Village of Reno, Venango County in July 2023 so far cost residents $900,000 more than they pay on their water bills. [Read more here.] The Attorney General is now investigating the conventional oil well owner responsible. [Read more here.]

-- 12,600 Wastewater Pipeline Spill: EQM Gathering OPCO LLC wastewater pipeline ruptured and sprayed - leaked 12,600+ gallons of wastewater for nearly 3 hours before being stopped in Gilmore Township, Greene County in September 2024. [Read more here]

-- 860 Violations For Abandoned Conventional Wells 2024 : Conventional oil and gas well owners were issued 860 violations for new and continued violations for abandoning wells they own in 2024. [Read more here.]

-- Record Number Of Abandoned Shale Gas Well Violations 2024: Record number of violations for abandoning shale gas wells in 2024-- 47. DEP is inspecting shale gas wells drilled in the early days of shale development-- 2009 to 2013-- to determine their status which is resulting in most of the violations. [Read more here.]

-- Grand Jury Report Finds Government Agencies Failed To Protect Pennsylvanians From Risks Of Shale Gas Development. In June 2020, Attorney General Josh Shapiro released the two-year investigation by a Statewide Grand Jury that uncovered systematic failure by government agencies in overseeing the fracking industry and fulfilling their responsibility to protect Pennsylvanians from the inherent risks of industry operations. [Read more here]

-- 9-Year Effort Continues To Recover From Damage Caused By Mariner East Pipeline Construction: Since 2015 Navy veterans Patrick and Helen Robinson of East Wheatfield Township, Indiana County have been working for 9 years to cover from water supply, flooding and other impacts from the construction of the Mariner East Pipeline. They’ve been living on hauled water. No agency will help them. [Read more here]

-- Mine Subsidence Under Compressor Station: Mine subsidence void found under Olympus/Hyperion natural gas compressor station construction site in Penn Township, Westmoreland County in March 2025 [Read more here]

-- 1,000 Gallon Subsurface Wastewater Spill: Hebron Gas Storage Field wastewater injection well had a subsurface release of approximately 1,000 gallons of drilling wastewater in Hebron Township, Potter County in September 2024. [Read more here]

-- No Permanent Clean Drinking Water Since June 2022: Since June 2022, the Center for Coalfield Justice and other partners have been helping to provide drinking water to families in the New Freeport area of Greene County where residents have been impacted by a “frack-out” from an EQT Production Company shale gas well pad. They’ve been living on hauled water. [Read more here] Residents filed a lawsuit against EQT to get replacement water for residents in September 2024. [Read more here]

-- Wastewater Pipeline Blowout: Range Resources Appalachia LLC water pipeline suffered a blowout launching a “pig” used to clean out the pipeline into the air as the pipeline whipped around like a garden hose in Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County in August 2024. [Read more here]

-- Gas Gathering Pipeline Crashes Thru House: Olympus/Hyperion natural gas gathering pipeline under construction broke loose and slid down a hill and crashed into and through the basement of a home in Westmoreland County narrowly missing the gas furnace in December 2022. Neither DEP nor the Public Utility Commission, which had no jurisdiction, took any action. They were on their own. [Read more here]

-- Shawley Family Files Lawsuit Over Loss Of Water Caused By Mariner East Pipeline: In December 2022, the Shawley Family of Jackson Township, Cambria County filed a lawsuit in federal court against Energy Transfer/Sunoco Pipeline following over three years of struggles to get access to clean water and a functioning septic system for their home impacted by the construction of the Mariner East Pipeline. [Read more here]

-- Criminal Convictions, Record Penalties Highlight Big Shale Gas Compliance History: In the last five years nine shale gas-related companies have been convicted of criminal charges related to environmental violations and penalties and restitution imposed on companies of totaled over $158.3 million. [Read more here]

-- 63,000 Gallon Wastewater Spill On State Game Lands: Seneca Resources Co LLC suffered a release of 63,000 gallons of wastewater during shale gas fracking operations on a shale gas well pad on State Game Lands in Jones Township, Elk County in May 2023. [Read more here]

-- Water Withdrawal Construction Threatens Hellbender On EV Stream: DEP issued multiple violations to PA General Energy for water quality violations at the Shawnee shale gas development water withdrawal and double natural gas/water pipeline construction site on the Exceptional Value Loyalsock Creek in Gamble Township, Lycoming County between September and November 2023 [Read more here] threatening the Eastern Hellbender habitat [Read more here].

-- Washington County Family Files Lawsuit Alleging Health Problems, Water Supply Contamination Caused By Shale Gas Drilling: On October 28, Bryan Latkanich and his three children Ryan, Hunter and Colton-- filed a lawsuit against Chevron and EQT shale gas companies alleging they violated the terms of their drilling lease by endangering their health, contaminating their water supply and not protecting their land in East Bethlehem Township. [Read more here]

-- Cryptocurrency Facility, Gas Wells Abandoned: Diversified Production LLC found to have abandoned shale gas-powered cryptocurrency facility and gas wells in Elk County in March 2025. [Read more here.]

-- Pipeline Company Order To Provide 200 Water Treatment Systems: DEP ordered Energy Transfer/Sunoco to install water treatment systems on over 200 homes with well contamination from a jet fuel pipeline leak in Bucks County that had leaked for an estimated 16 months in March 2025. [Read more here]

-- Well Owner Fails To Cleanup Oil Well Spill For 19 Months And Counting: Apollo Resources, LLC failed to comply with an order to clean up a conventional oil well spill for 19 months after it was discovered in May 2023. [Read more here]

-- High Radioactivity Readings Prompt Decontamination At Shale Gas Well Site: Elevated radioactivity readings at the site of a wastewater spill on a Chesapeake Appalachia LLC shale gas well pad prompted decontamination of a wastewater storage tank in Franklin Township, Bradford County in June 2023. [Read more here]

-- 274 New Brownfield Sites In 2024: In 2024, DEP received or acted on 274 Act 2 Land Recycling Program notices and reports covering the cleanup of contamination at primarily shale gas facilities, meaning this industry is creating new brownfields wherever it works. [Read more here]

-- Wastewater Pumped Thru Ruptured Pipeline For 24+Hours: CNX Gas Company reports it did not stop pumping shale gas wastewater through a punctured pipeline for 24+ hours in Morris Township, Greene County in May 2024. [Read more here]

-- Christmas Day Natural Gas Processing Plant Explosion, Fire For 9.5 Hours: Energy Transfer Revolution Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plant suffered an explosion resulting in a fire and an uncontrolled release of ethane and other pollutants for 9.5 hours on Christmas morning 2022 in Smith Township, Washington County. The recommendation to evacuate came after nearby families evacuated. [Read more here]

-- Wastewater Injection Well Spill: DEP discovers major shale gas wastewater release at Bear Lake Properties injection well in Columbus Township, Warren County during routine inspection in October 2024. [Read more here]

-- Uncontrolled Release Of 1.1 Billion Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas: Equitrans, LP suffered an uncontrolled release of 1.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas from the Rager Mountain natural gas storage field over 13 days in Jackson Township, Cambria County in November 2022. [Read more here]

-- 18,000 Gallon Spill Of Wastewater Contaminated 3 Water Wells: No one warned a Cameron County family their water well was contaminated with radioactive wastewater after an estimated 18,000 gallon leak in a Seneca Resources wastewater pipeline in Shippen Township, Cameron County in July 2022. It took six months for DEP to formally determine the family’s well was adversely affected by oil and gas operations. [Read more here]

-- Conventional Well Owner Has 2nd Well Explosion, Fire In One Week: DEP was called to the scene of a conventional gas well explosion in Westmoreland County, the second well explosion at wells owned by Kriebel Natural Gas Co., LLC in one week in March 2025. [Read more here.]

-- 9-Year-Old Drives Tractor Into Gas Well: 9-year-old drives a tractor into a conventional gas well causing a gas leak in Allegheny Township, Westmoreland County in August 2024. Fortunately, no one was hurt. [Read more here]

-- Study Finds 800,000 Tons Of Fracking Waste Missing: University of Pittsburgh study found at least 800,000 tons of fracking waste sent to landfills unaccounted for in one year in Pennsylvania in July 2023. [Read more here]

-- 20 Months To Determine Drinking Water Contamination Responsibility: In February 2024, Blackhill Energy LLC received notice of violation for contaminating three private water supplies with methane in Springfield Township, Bradford County in June 2022. [Read more here]

-- Uncontrolled Gas Venting Prompts Evacuation: Repsol Oil and Gas USA LLC had an uncontrolled venting of gas from one of its shale gas wells in Troy Township, Bradford County lasting over 10.5 hours prompting a temporary evacuation for a half mile around the pad in August 2023. [Read more here]

-- 4,600 Gallons Of Wastewater Spill When Truck Rolls Over: An EQT ARO LLC wastewater truck rolls over spilling 4,600 gallons of shale gas wastewater in McIntyre Township, Lycoming County in August 2023. [Read more here]

-- 10,000 Gallon Release Of Natural Gas Condensate At Compressor Station: MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources LLC Cibus Ranch Compressor Station had a release of an estimated 10,000 gallons of natural gas condensate in Robinson Township, Washington County in December 2022. [Read more here]

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.

Related Articles This Week:

-- Criminal Convictions; Record Penalties, Restitution Of Over $158.3 Million Highlight Big Shale Gas, Related Petrochemical Industry Compliance History In Pennsylvania [PaEN]

-- DEP Reports 575 Water Supply/Stray Gas Complaints About Oil & Gas Operations In Last 2 Years; Investigation Can Take A Year, Sometimes 2-3 To Find Those Responsible [PaEN]

-- Daily Grind Living Next To Oil & Gas Industry: Spills, Polluted Water Supplies, Smells Like Gas, Noise, Air Pollution, Explosions, Truck Traffic, Erosion, Radioactive Waste, Gas Flares, Dust, Lights, Road Dumping Waste, Abandoned Wells [PaEN]

-- DEP To Recommend Environmental Quality Board Accept A Petition For Study To Increase Setbacks From Shale Gas Wells At April 8 Meeting [PaEN]

-- DEP: US Interior Dept. Withdraws Orphan Oil & Gas Well Regulatory Improvement Grant Program To Help Prevent Future Well Abandonments, A Severe Problem In PA [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection Reliability Initiative Attracts 94 Applications For 26.6 GW Of New Electric Generation Capacity; Reviews To Be Completed By 2026; List Of Projects Not Available Now [PaEN]

Resource Links:

-- AG Shapiro: Grand Jury Finds Pennsylvania Failed To Protect Citizens During Natural Gas Fracking Boom [PaEN]

-- DEP Report Finds: Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Routinely Abandon Wells; Fail To Report How Millions Of Gallons Of Waste Is Disposed; And Non-Compliance Is An ‘Acceptable Norm’ [PaEN]

-- Presentations Posted From 2025 Shale Gas & Public Health Conference Featuring Health Experts, Scientists, Advocacy Groups, Workers On Health, Environmental Impacts Of Shale Gas Development [PaEN]

-- Presentations Now Available From 2022 Shale Gas & Public Health Conference In Nov. Hosted By PA League Of Women Voters & University Of Pittsburgh Graduate School Of Public Health [PaEN]

(Photos: Row 1- Energy Transfer Revolution Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plant burned for 9.5 hours; CNX Oak Springs natural gas pipeline pigging station blowdown three times a day, seven days a week for nearly 10 years; Continual road dumping of conventional wastewater on paved and dirt roads; Row 2-- Shale gas wastewater pipeline rupture 18,000 gallon spill contaminated water supplies; Gas gathering pipeline crashes into and thru the basement of a home; The Shawley Family’s water they said was contaminated by Mariner East Pipeline construction; Abandoned shale gas well and equipment; Row 3-- abandoned conventional well gas on fire; Abandoned cryptocurrency operation and shale gas wells; rusted conventional oil and gas well equipment litters the countryside; water pollution from construction of a water supply intake on the Loyalsock Creek threatens Eastern Hellbender habitat.)

Daily Grind Incidents/Discoveries

2025

-- AG Shapiro: Grand Jury Finds Pennsylvania Failed To Protect Citizens During Natural Gas Fracking Boom [PaEN]

-- DEP Report Finds: Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Routinely Abandon Wells; Fail To Report How Millions Of Gallons Of Waste Is Disposed; And Non-Compliance Is An ‘Acceptable Norm’ [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues One Conventional Well Owner 36 Violations For Abandoning Their Conventional Wells; 7 More Violations Issued To Shale Gas Drillers For Abandoning Wells [PaEN]

-- Mine Subsidence Found Under Olympus Energy/Hyperion Natural Gas Compressor Station Construction Site In Penn Twp., Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- Volunteer Firefighters, DEP Respond To Conventional Gas Well Explosion, Fire In Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- PA American Water Identifies Water Source For New Public Water System To Replace Water Wells Contaminated By Shale Gas Fracking 20 Years Ago In Dimock Twp., Susquehanna County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Diversified Production LLC Abandons Shale Gas Powered Cryptocurrency Facility In Elk County; 9 More Violations For Abandoned Shale Gas Wells This Week [PaEN]

-- DEP Issued Violations To Range Resources, LPR Energy For Not Filing Shale Gas Production And Waste Generation Reports In 12 Counties [PaEN]

-- DEP Orders Energy Transfer/Sunoco To Install Water Treatment Systems In Over 200 Homes Impacted By Petroleum Products Pipeline Leak In Bucks County [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: Aqua PA Spells Out Venango Water Co. Expenses Since Its PUC-Ordered Emergency Role [Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill Cost Water Customers $900,000, So Far, In Venango County] [PaEN]