The initial spills occurred while drilling under Mill Creek and Big Pond Road and impacted areas on the permitted pipeline route, but also ran off the permitted area into a nearby woods and surfaced in wetlands.
The largest spill occurred on March 23-- between 700 and 900 gallons of bentonite drilling mud
Other spills occurred on March 26 - 50 to 200 gallons; March 28 - 20 to 30 gallons; April 1 - 75 gallons; April 2 - 70 gallons and May 15 - 20 gallons.
DEP said Blackhill Energy took temporary measures to recover standing fluids in sumps they constructed and installed additional sedimentation control measures in response to the spills.
DEP issued and continued multiple violations for the spills in inspection reports on March 23, 2026, March 30, 2026, April 2, 2026 (morning) and April 2, 2026 (afternoon).
Blackhill Energy provided additional information on the spills and temporary remediation efforts in responses to the violations DEP issued on April 7, 2026 and April 15, 2026.
During a May 18, 2026 DEP inspection, Blackhill Energy said it would begin permanent remediation of the impacted areas when drilling operations were complete on or about May 19.
Not First Drilling Problems
Blackhill Energy had inadvertent return spills on its Brad-Tenn Loop Pipeline project in Granville and West Burlington Townships in Bradford County totalling as much as 40,000 gallons in September and October of 2025. Read more here.
DEP also issued Blackhill Energy violations for contaminating groundwater and three water supplies with methane in Springfield Township, Bradford County in February 2024. 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: Spill site overview; Below- Spill surfaced in wetland; Right- Sump constructed to collect escaped drilling fluids.)
[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 - Blackhill Energy:
Related Articles This Week:
-- DEP: Sandstone Development LLC Operating Illegal Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In McKean County; Disposed Of 191,982 Gallons Of Wastewater, So Far [PaEN]
-- DEP: Expand Operating Delhagen Shale Gas Wells Contaminate 2nd Water Supply, Part Of Ongoing Well Integrity Problems For Last 15 Years In Rush Twp., Susquehanna County [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues 8 More Violations To Delta Inland Oil Res LLC For Abandoning, Not Plugging Conventional Oil & Gas Wells In Warren County [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues Rice Drilling [EQT] Violations For Abandoning, Not Plugging 2 Shale Gas Wells Left Partially Drilled For 11 Years In Greene County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Blackhill Energy To Start Permanent Remediation Of Areas Impacted By Six Inadvertent Return Spills From Horizontal Drilling Of Sultana Pipeline In Springfield Twp., Bradford County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Complaint By Neighbor Experiencing Impacts From Compressor Noise For 7 Years From Shale Gas Well Pad In Bradford County Again Raises The Issue Of Why There Are No Noise Standards For Oil & Gas Operations [PaEN]
-- DEP Sets June 25 Hearing On Air Permit For ETC Northeast Pipeline Cryo II Project At The Revolution Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plant In Smith Twp., Washington County [PaEN]
-- Citizen Science: Penn State Geographers Need Help Testing Interactive Natural Gas Infrastructure Mapping Tools On May 29-30 At Penn State Beaver Campus, Beaver County [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 33 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In April; 133 In 2026 [PaEN]
-- PUC Schedules In-Person, Telephonic Public Hearings On 13.1% Rate Increase Proposed By Peoples Natural Gas Starting June 2 [PaEN]
-- PUC PaOneCall Damage Prevention Committee Announces $183,750 In Penalties For Underground Utility, Pipeline Violations; Next Meeting June 9
NewsClips:
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Calfrac Fracking Services Company Based In Canada Closing Fayette County Office, Cutting 75 Jobs
-- Reuters: Four US LNG Gas Vessels Sailing To China After President’s Summit
[Posted: May 28, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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