PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP: Seneca Resources Still Experiencing Spills, Releases While New Well Development Continues At Taft Shale Gas Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County For 426 Days And Counting

On December 23, 2025, the Department of Environmental Protection inspected the Seneca Resources Co. LLC Taft 851 shale gas well pad in Middlebury Township, Tioga County and found evidence of continuing spills and releases as drilling was completed on five new wells at the site.

DEP’s inspection report documented instances of contaminated water with elevated conductivity on the well pad at various locations and in a measured release stormwater basin.

Crews were onsite cleaning up the pad and removing equipment associated with drilling five new shale gas wells, although 40 frac tanks and other equipment remained.

A sediment trap and sediment basin contained frozen water and DEP recommended the basin and continued to be monitored for wastewater contamination to prevent those fluids from leaving the facility.

DEP issued the original spill violations at the site on October 23, 2024 and documented spills again during a July 11, 2025 inspection that were confirmed with water samples collected on August 21, 2025.

DEP found spills and releases during an October 2, 2025 inspection and one on October 31 making the same recommendations to monitor and remove contaminated water and soil..

Criminal Charges

Also on October 31, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced criminal charges against Seneca Resources, LLC, following multiple violations of Pennsylvania’s environmental protection laws in several counties, as recommended by the 48th and 51st Statewide Investigating Grand Juries.

Three separate criminal complaints were filed regarding the natural gas company’s violations related to improper waste management practices and policies.

Prominent in the Attorney General’s announcement of the charges was the fact that DEP repeatedly warned Seneca that their practices were not in line with Pennsylvania law, but those warnings were ignored or disputed. Read more here.

In all, Seneca is charged with 64 counts of violations of the Solid Waste Management Act and 36 counts of violations of the Clean Streams Law in Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga Counties. 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-- Vac truck sucking up contaminated water; Scrapping residue off rig matting; Row 2-- One location of contaminated water; Taft shale gas well pad.)

[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 Links - Seneca Resources:

-- Attorney General Sunday: Criminal Charges Filed Against Seneca Resources For 64 Counts Of Illegal Dumping Of Shale Gas Waste In Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga Counties [PaEN]

-- No One Warned A Cameron County Family Their Water Well Was Contaminated By A Seneca Resources Shale Gas Wastewater Pipeline Rupture [PaEN]

-- DEP: Spills, Releases Continue At Seneca Resources Taft Shale Gas Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County For 373 Days And Counting [PaEN]

-- DEP: Day 155 - Contaminated Water Still Flowing From Seneca Resources Vandergrift Shale Gas Wells, Well Pad; Cleanup Continues In Charleston Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Seneca Resources Ignores NOVs On DCNR Shale Gas Well Pad Cleanup For 7 Months & Counting; Citizen Complaint Finds Homeowner Well Venting Gas; Multiple Tanker Truck Spills [PaEN]

-- Citizen Complaint, Company Report Results In DEP Inspection Finding 63,000 Gallon Wastewater Spill At Seneca Resources Shale Gas Well On State Game Lands In Elk County; More Leaks, Spills [PaEN]

-- Pine Creek Headwaters Protection Group Asks DCNR To Protect State Forest Land From Seneca Shale Gas Drilling Well Pad, Comply With PA Supreme Court Decision, Protect Recreation, Wildlife [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Dec. 27 to Jan. 2 - Shale Gas Well Casing Failure/Loss Of Control; Shale Gas Well Pad Spills Continue For 426 Days; Abandoned Conventional Well Violations Reach 688 [PaEN]

-- DEP: Range Resources Suffers Casing Failure/Loss Of Control Incident During Fracking At Burkett Shale Gas Well Pad Triggering Area Of Review Report On Any Offsite Impacts In Jefferson Twp., Washington County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Seneca Resources Still Experiencing Spills, Releases While New Well Development Continues At Taft Shale Gas Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County For 426 Days And Counting [PaEN]