PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP: Truck Loses Load Of Shale Gas Wastewater On Access, Local Road To EQT Sarah Well Pad In Union Township, Washington County

On January 5, 2026, EQT Production Company notified DEP a tank truck hauling production wastewater lost its load on the public road and access road going to the EQT Production Company Sarah shale gas well pad in Union Township, Washington County.

EQT said a fitting broke on the truck causing wastewater to “pour out of the truck” onto the access road, according to one witness.

EQT said a second tank truck in the convoy stopped and tried to suck up the wastewater spilling on road.

During the inspection, DEP observed wastewater “washing down the access road,” and field measurements confirmed elevated conductivity readings.

DEP followed the wastewater spill down the access road taking conductivity measurements at multiple points.

Elevated readings were observed on the approximately 1,100 foot access road and on the Finleyville Elrama public road.

Equipment was onsite starting remediation, excavating contaminated material on and off the access road.

Multiple violations were issued and DEP requested a written response on the incident by January 28 that includes an estimate of how much wastewater was spilled and a cleanup following Act 2 Land Recycling Program guidelines.

DEP inspection report with photos.

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.

[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 Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - January 17 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 63 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In January 17 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

-- DEP To Hold Feb. 17 Meeting/Hearing On Revised Water Quality Permit For 1,300 Acre Project Hazelnut A.I. Data Center Project In Hazle Twp., Luzerne County [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Federal Coastal Zone Consistency Determination For The Canada-US Lake Erie Electric Transmission Line Project, Landfall Erie County, PA [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Jan. 29 Hearing On Water Withdrawal Requests, Including Amazon Data Center; And Statement Of Investment Policy [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Air Quality Permit For 176 - 3.25 MW Backup Diesel Generators For A.I. Data Center Project In City Of Lancaster

Related Article This Week:

-- DEP: Rice Drilling (EQT) Failed To Plug Abandoned Shale Gas Well For Over 5 Years In Washington County [PaEN]

-- DEP: MarkWest Liberty Midstream Reports 5 More Drilling Fluid Losses Into Mine Voids In Washington County; Total Losses Now 1,241,500 Gallons [PaEN]

-- DEP: Truck Loses Load Of Shale Gas Wastewater On Access, Local Road To EQT Sarah Well Pad In Union Township, Washington County [PaEN]

-- DEP Day 239: Seneca Resources Wastewater Cleanup, Monitoring Efforts Continue At Vandergrift Shale Gas Well Pad In Charleston Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]