As described in the violation notice, this action is part of an ongoing gas migration investigation that began in October 2011 when a complaint was received about methane contamination in a private water supply.
On April 1, 2026, DEP issued a formal determination the second private water supply located approximately 600 feet from the Delhagen shale gas well pad, was contaminated as a result of methane migration. The complaint was received in October 2025.
DEP said pre-drilling water supply sampling of the water supply was done on July 15, 2010 which found undetectable methane levels.
“Based on the water quality and isotopic data gathered during the investigation, and evaluations of the nearby Gas Wells, the Department has determined that the Water Supply listed in Exhibit A has been affected by oil and gas activity,” according to the notice of violation.
DEP issued a formal determination of methane contamination from the Delhagen well pad in the first water supply on November 7, 2011. The complaint was received on October 27, 2011.
DEP said-- “The restoration of both affected water supplies has been addressed by Chesapeake/Expand during the entirety of the investigation.”
By law, the well owner who affects a water supply is required to restore or replace the affected supply in terms of quantity and quality.
DEP maintains a list of formal determinations of oil and gas activities contaminating water supplies. That list has 452 letters.
The names of the water supply owners are redacted from the notices by DEP to protect their privacy
Attempts To Fix The Wells
In 2011, Expand Operating [then Chesapeake Energy] conducted diagnostic evaluations of the 2H and 5H shale gas wells on the Delhagen pad and found well integrity and defective cement issues.
Expand Operating made attempts in October-November 2011, in June-July 2024 and again in December 2025 to repair the wells, however, integrity issues remained at the 5H shale gas well, according to DEP’s notice of violation.
DEP said-- “Recent diagnostic logging of the gas wells is being evaluated by Expand to develop a remedial operations plan for review by the Department.”
Corrective Action Plan
The notice of violation requests Expand Operating to provide a response to the notice within 30 days-- by June 10-- that includes--
-- The results and evaluation of the additional diagnostic activities conducted on the Gas Wells in December 2025.
-- An updated plan and schedule for any remedial work necessary to address the integrity issues identified with the Gas Wells to mitigate the stray gas incident as required by 25 Pa. Code §78a.89(e)(4).
As part of the response, Expand Operating is providing bi-weekly screening of water supplies which is part of water supply investigation status reports submitted to DEP..
Click Here for a copy of the Notice of Violation.
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: Delhagen shale gas well pad, Rush Twp., Susquehanna County.)
Resource Links:
-- DEP Reports 575 Water Supply/Stray Gas Complaints About Oil & Gas Operations In Last 2 Years; Investigation Can Take A Year, Sometimes 2-3 To Find Those Responsible [PaEN]
-- DEP Reports The Number Of Methane Contaminated Water Supplies From Oil & Gas Drilling Is Up ‘Across The Board,’ ‘Not A Good Trend’ [PaEN]
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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