DEP said the violations will be continued from the release of an unknown amount of production wastewater reported to DEP as a complaint on May 13.
The wastewater flowed across the unprotected pad surface, ran down the well pad slope to the unprotected grassy field below the pad and then offsite into waters of the Commonwealth.
DEP recommended monitoring efforts continue for contamination as well as remediation as necessary. Read more here.
Background
A May 13 DEP inspection, prompted by a complaint, found two large areas of distressed vegetation with evidence of a wastewater release in one area 50 feet wide extending downslope about 120 feet and another area 20 feet wide and stretching 65-70 feet down slope.
There were also areas of running liquid and puddles of liquid were found in several areas and liquid was found running off site.
Seneca said the cause of the spill was leaking values and fluid flowing from an open pipe during well plugging operations.
A June 10 DEP inspection of the well pad found extensive remediation efforts were continuing to collect fluids that were still accumulating.
Seneca had excavated sumps around each of the wells approximately 6 feet deep where fluid was collecting.
A plastic-lined sump was installed downslope from the excavated area where liquid was accumulating.
24 rolloff dumpsters were full of excavated material. There was a 4-inch wide channel of liquid coming from a separate pile of excavated material flowing into the sumps.
A vac truck driver said he had collected 16,800 gallons from the sumps just that day and the water was recycled back as frack water.
DEP reported wastewater sampling results on June 22 - DEP inspection report.
No more inspection reports were filed after June 22 until the July 24 report.
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: Top-- 6 foot deep sumps were excavated around the well heads to collect fluid; Bottom-- Contaminated liquid at edge of well pad and in drainage swale; Plastic-lined sump downslope from the excavated area on the pad collecting liquid)
[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.]
Resource Link:
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 19 to 25 - More Criminal Charges; Weeks Long Wastewater Cleanups Continue; 27 More Abandoned Conventional Wells [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - July 26 [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Water Quality Permits For Daylighting 5.33 Miles Of 4 Texas Eastern Natural Gas Pipelines To Allow For Longwall Coal Mining In Greene County [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 78 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In July 26 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- Attorney General Sunday Files Criminal Charges Against Equitrans For 2022 Leak Of 1.1 Billion Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas From Its Rager Mountain Gas Storage Field In Cambria County [PaEN]
-- DEP Samples Confirm Contaminated Wastewater Released During Well Plugging Operations Polluted Areas Off The Vandergrift Shale Gas Well Pad In Tioga County; Cleanup, Monitoring Continue From May Incident [PaEN]
-- Protect PT: CNX Appeals EHB Decision Requiring DEP To Enforce Local Environmental Protection Settlement At The Drakulic Shale Gas Well Pad In Westmoreland County [PaEN]
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-- What The A.I. Data Center & Energy Summit Missed: It’s Deja Vu - False Promises, Dirty Power - Our People And Communities Deserve Respect [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection Continues Maximum Generation And Load Management Alerts For July 25 [PaEN]
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[Posted: July 25, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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