“At the time of the inspection, the ground within the secondary containment was saturated with production fluid [contaminated groundwater] with some ponding throughout. A small amount of crude oil was also identified within the escaped production fluid.
“The ponding production fluid [contaminated groundwater] was flowing into the drain's inlet, exiting the containment through the drain outlet located at the exterior front left corner of the secondary containment
“The production fluid [contaminated groundwater] flowed from the containment drain into the road ditch traveling south approximately 50 feet
“The escaped production fluid [contaminated groundwater] also flowed north in the road ditch approximately 10 feet before entering a road culvert where it continued westward into the woods for approximately 150 feet
“The vegetation in the path of flow was dead, the ground was muddy and imprinted with deer tracks, and the conductivity readings measured high throughout the entire length of travel.”
The DEP report says-- “On June 18, 2026 a phone call was made to the operator, John McCool, in which he stated his intentions to work towards achieving compliance.
“He explained that the fluids currently stored in the tanks will be pumped empty and examined for leaks. If any leaks are identified, the tanks will be repaired or replaced.
“An excavator will be used to remove the contaminated soil within the secondary containment and beyond the containment drain exit following the path of travel through the woods.”
DEP requested a written report by July 8. DEP inspection report+photos.
4th Large Spill In Warren County
This is the fourth major release of contaminated groundwater from a conventional well site DEP found in nine days in Warren County.
On June 8, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection did routine inspections of two conventional oil and gas wells owned by Trinity Mineral Partners, LLC and found large contaminated groundwater releases from the wells had killed vegetation, soaked into soil and polluted road ditches at both sites in Sugar Grove Township, Warren County. Read more here.
On June 15, 2026, a routine inspection of the Trinity Mineral Partners LLC Conklin Lease C1 conventional oil and gas well site in Brokenstraw Township, Warren County found evidence of a significant release of contaminated groundwater around aboveground and buried storage tanks. 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 groundwater storage tanks and saturated ground; Field tests within containment; Spill washed down the hill; Row 2-- Saturated ground in roadside ditch; Field testing drainpipe from containment; Release continues into the woods.)
[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.]
Related Articles This Week:
-- Six Years And Counting: None Of The Recommendations The Grand Jury Made To Better Protect Pennsylvanians From The Impacts Of Shale Gas Development Have Been Adopted [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Observer-Reporter: Western PA Revolutionized Energy Extraction With New Techniques, Technology-- Longwall Coal Mining, Shale Gas Drilling
-- Bloomberg: Qatar Says Explosion At Natural Gas Export Facility That Left 13 Dead Should Not Affect LNG Exports
-- AP: Qatar Says Natural Gas Export Terminal Blast Killed 13 As Workers Tried To Resume Operations
[Posted: June 24, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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