The concern is the borehole was leading to groundwater contamination that was being detected in at least one groundwater monitoring well drilled after the contamination incident.
Repsol said the borehole was not discovered during the original construction of the basin because it was under at least three feet of native soils.
An environmental consultant hired by Repsol is screening and purging fluids from the borehole and a permanent structure will be installed to allow continued access to that area.
Other cleanup activities continue, including the construction of a new interceptor trench on the well pad around the entire secondary containment to collect contaminated fluids running off the site so they can be captured and taken for disposal.
At least one additional monitoring well is scheduled to be drilled and trucks continue to haul contaminated soil offsite for disposal from a staging area surrounded by a containment structure.
Click Here for DEP's August 20 inspection report with photos.
Well Control Incident
At 6:30 p.m on July 13, 2025, Repsol Oil & Gas USA LLC reported a well control incident at the 7H shale gas well on the Broadleaf Holdings pad that caused the “uncontrolled release” of wastewater up the well casing to the pad surface. Read more here.
Efforts to control the pressure and prevent fluids from escaping all three well annuli failed for more than 34 hours until a second temporary plug was put in the well.
DEP’s Emergency Response Team arrived onsite at 6:30 a.m. on July 14 in response to a report at 7:45 p.m. on July 13 of a well control incident “halfway through the frac” of the 7H well and found wastewater had overtopped secondary containments.
Temporary berms were constructed along the edge of the well pad and down the pad slope to collect fluids.
“Numerous gravel berms were constructed on the pad surface to help prevent fluids from escaping the pad surface” but they failed in numerous spots.
Wastewater was also collected in a stormwater control basin on the western corner of the pad.
A second and third bench/trench were constructed below the first corner berm below the well pad fill slope the next day that directed wastewater into a stormwater control basin onsite.
DEP was onsite again July 15 at 10:00 a.m. for a follow-up inspection that found a temporary plug installed in the 7H well at 9:00 p.m. on July 14 failed to prevent the fluids from reaching the pad surface and “surging” was reported. July 15 DEP inspection report.
A second temporary plug was set in the 7H well at 5:00 a.m. on July 15 which stopped all fluids 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.
(Photos: Row 1-- Contaminated soil staging area; Diversion trench; Lined detention basin for contaminated water runoff; Row 2-- Contaminated runoff flowing into detention basin; Contaminated soil excavated from existing stormwater basin; Borehole discovered; Overview of excavated stormwater basin - from DEP inspection report.)
Resource Links:
[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.]
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 16 to 22 - Conventional, Shale Gas Wastewater Spilling All Over, Seeping From Hillsides; 4th Pipeline Construction Spill; Where Did You Put That Waste? [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues Violations For Failing To Report How Waste Was Disposed Of Safely From 133 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells, Including 50 Owned By CNX Gas Company [PaEN]
-- DEP: 3rd & 4th Spills From Horizontal Drilling At EQM Gathering Pipeline Project In Washington County; Overflowing Tanks; Water Supply Complaint Investigated [PaEN]
-- DEP: Contaminated Wastewater Found Seeping From Saturated Shale Gas Well Pad Fill Slope In Great Bend Twp., Susquehanna County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Day 38 Of Cleanup: Borehole Found Under Stormwater Basin During Continuing Cleanup Of Repsol Shale Gas Well Pad After A 34-Hour Uncontrolled Wastewater Release In Bradford County [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 23 [PaEN]
-- DEP Now Accepting Bids To Plug 7 Conventional Gas Wells In Washington County [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 57 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In June/July; 282 In 2025 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 61 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 23 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Pushing 3 More Ways To Legalize Road Dumping Their Wastewater; Not Clear How The Public, Put At Risk By Dumping, Will Be Involved [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Low Flow Water Conditions Trigger Water Withdrawal Restrictions On 47 Shale Gas Development Water Withdrawal Points In PA [PaEN]
-- Joint State Government Committee Identifies 382 Potential Sites For Geothermal Facilities Using Abandoned Mine Pools; Geothermal Energy Could Reduce A.I. Data Center Energy Demand By 30-40% [PaEN]
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles & NewClips From Last Week - August 24 [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: More Than 1.3 Million Gallons Of Oil & Gas Wastewater Stored At Eureka Resources Facility In Williamsport Without Required Alarms Among Violations DEP Issued 10 Days Prior To River Spill
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Initial Radioactivity Scan Show No Elevated Levels From Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Spill In Williamsport
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Volunteers Find Persistent Oily Waste From Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant Spill In Williamsport; Advise Public To Avoid Recreational Use Of River For Now
-- PennLive - John Beauge: DEP Issued Violation 10 Days Before Tank At Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Facility Leaked Oily Discharge Into Susquehanna River
-- PennLive - John Beauge: Oily Substance From Tank In Closed Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant Leaks Into Susquehanna River [PDF of Article]
-- Williamsport Sun: Extensive Cleanup Underway After Oil Substance Leaks Into River In Williamsport [PDF of Article]
-- The Derrick: Leak Found In Service Station Underground Gasoline Tank In Downtown Titusville, Crawford County
-- Post-Gazette/Inside Climate News: Pennsylvania Lured The Shell Petrochemical Plant To The State With A $1.65 Billion Tax Break, Now The Company Wants To Sell The Plant
-- PA Capital-Star/Inside Climate News: Pennsylvania Lured The Shell Petrochemical Plant To The State With A $1.65 Billion Tax Break, Now The Company Wants To Sell The Plant
-- The Allegheny Front/Inside Climate News: Pennsylvania Lured The Shell Petrochemical Plant To The State With A $1.65 Billion Tax Break, Now The Company Wants To Sell The Plant
-- Williamsport Sun Editorial: Natural Gas Remains ‘Keystone’ Of Future Economic Growth [PDF of Article]
-- Reuters: Drop In Natural Gas Demand Signals 2 Top LNG Gas Exports Facilities May Have Outages
-- The Guardian: US Pipeline Protester’s Obstruction Conviction Overturned By Minnesota Appeals Court Finding ‘Pervasive’ Prosecutorial Misconduct
[Posted: August 21, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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