DEP noted the secondary containment was not yet completed at the time of the inspection-- there was no storm drain valve to control flow out of containment and the plastic liner was not properly installed around the entire containment area.
DEP issued no violations, but said in the report it “will continue to monitor Operator progress on this site and ensure necessary repairs are completed.”
Click Here for DEP’s June 29 inspection report.
Original October 2025 Release
The actions documented in this inspection arise from a release of about 300 gallons of contaminated water from the previous tanks on the site in October 2025 that was reported by National Fuel Gas working on a pipeline right-of-way near the tanks. Read more here.
DEP issued multiple violations for the original release on Oct. 2, 2025.
DEP inspection reports from Oct. 2, 2025 and June 29, 2026 show Petro Erie was anxious to get the Lower Reno 1 well and the other wells operating that are connected to the contaminated water storage tanks on this site.
Those same reports show the site was not cleaned up from the Oct. 2, 2025 spill and the two refurbished contaminated water storage tanks were not installed with piping and valves until sometime between the June 10, 2026 and June 29 inspections.
And there is still work to do at the site-- 270 days from the original violations.
At the time of the June 29 inspection Petro Erie was “actively pumping,” according to DEP’s report.
Major Spill In July 2023
DEP said Petro Erie, Inc. was also responsible for a conventional well wastewater spill from another battery of contaminated storage tanks serving multiple conventional wells in the same area on July 20, 2023 that contaminated a spring serving as a water supply for the Venango Water Company serving the Village of Reno in Sugarcreek Borough, Venango County.
The oil and gas well spill resulted in a “do not consume” water order for Venango Water Company customers that stayed in effect from July to September 2023.
Aqua Pennsylvania has been operating the Venango Water Company, owned by the Rhodes Estates, under a receivership order issued by the Public Utility Commission in August 2023.
In February, The Derrick reported Aqua has a ‘settlement in principle’ to purchase and permanently operate the Venango Water Company and the six other Rhodes Estates water and wastewater systems. Read more here.
Petro Erie, Inc. appealed DEP’s 2023 order to cleanup the site of this spill to the Environmental Hearing Board.
In March, DEP and Petro Erie, Inc. reached a settlement on the appeal where DEP said the well owner has “substantially complied” with the August 2023 DEP order to cleanup the wastewater spill that contaminated Bellows Spring. [EHB Docket 2023075] 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: Incomplete secondary containment around contaminated water storage tanks; No storm drain or storm drain valve; Plastic liner installation not complete; Dripping leaks from storage tanks valves.)
[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 Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 4 to 10: 4,200 Gallon Contaminated Water Spill; Cleaning Up Spills For 15 Days, 270 Days, 484 Days And Counting [PaEN]
-- DEP: Lola Energy Petroco Reported 4,200 Gallon Spill Caused By Contaminated Water Eating Thru A Pipe Fitting At Shale Gas Well Pad In Allegheny Twp., Butler County [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 15: Contaminated Water Continues To Leak From Pipes Cut During Restoration At Equitrans Water SVC Richter Shale Gas Water Impoundment In Greene County [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 270: Petro Erie Inc. Experiences Leaks From Refurbished Contaminated Water Storage Tanks At Conventional Well Site In Venango County After October 2025 Spill [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 484: Oil & Gas MGMT Inc. Took No Actions To Finish The Cleanup Of Conventional Well Spills Or Respond To DEP Violations In Westmoreland County [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - July 11 [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues Final Water Quality Permits For The Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage Appalachian Reliability Natural Gas Pipeline Project In Armstrong, Greene and Westmoreland Counties [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On A Chapter 105 Permit For A Seneca Resources Co 16-Inch Shale Gas Water Pipeline Running Through Farmington & Chatham Townships, Tioga County [PaEN]
-- Energy Transfer Asks PUC To Dissolve Sunoco Pipeline Company And Transfer Assets To 2 New Companies-- One For Natural Gas Liquids Pipelines Like Mariner East Pipelines And Another For Refined Petroleum Product Pipelines [PaEN]
-- DEP published notice in the July 11 PA Bulletin inviting comments on a Mothball Plan notification received from PEI Power, LLC concerning a Title V Air Quality Permit for two landfill gas fired turbines in Archbald Boro, Lackawanna County. (PA Bulletin, Page 4180)
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Hearing July 30 On Water Withdrawal Requests, Including 2 Related To Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 63 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In July 11 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- DEP Restarts Comment Period On Corrected Major Amendment To Homer City Generation Data Center Project Industrial Wastewater Facility Permit In Indiana County [PaEN]
-- DEP To Hold Aug. 4 Hearing On Major Modification To Waste Permit For Blythe Recycling & Demolition Waste Site Landfill In Schuylkill County [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- State Dept. Of Health Environmental Health Indicators Map Is Now Available To Show Potential Health Risks Near You, Including Oil & Gas Facilities & How To File A Report On A Health Concern [PaEN]
-- Delaware RiverKeeper Alert: Amendment In Congress Would Strip Delaware River Basin Commission Of Its Authority To Enforce The Ban On Oil & Gas Fracking In Delaware Watershed [PaEN]
-- FracTracker Alliance, Halt The Harm Network Now Accepting Nominations For 2026 Community Sentinel Award [PaEN]
-- Protect PT, Partners To Host July 23 Webinar On Landfill Leachate Radiation Hazards From Oil & Gas Waste [PaEN]
-- PA House Republican Proposes Bill To Strip Citizens Of The Right To Request A Suspension Of A DEP Permit To Prevent Irreparable Harm From Occurring While An Appeal Is Heard Before The Environmental Hearing Board [PaEN]
-- Guest Essay: Weighing The Pros And Cons Of KeyState Energy’s Natural Gas-Based Fertilizer Plant In Karthaus Twp., Clearfield County - By Ben Hoffman, Farmer, Karthaus Township [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- WHYY - Zoe Read: Nicetown Residents In Philly Want Answers After PUC Finds Philadelphia Gas Works Not Responsible For Deadly Natural Gas Explosion
-- Ohio River Valley Institute: Shell Petrochemical Plant Promised On Economic Renaissance, Beaver County Is Still Falling Behind
-- PennLive Guest Essay: PA Lawmakers Shouldn’t Overturn PA Supreme Court Decision Restoring Oil & Gas Property Rights To Their Rightful Owners - By Sherman Powell, Member Of Proctor Family Who Regained Their Property Unlawfully Taken
-- KDKA: Allegheny County DA Investigating 35 Cases Of Deed Fraud, Deeds Transferred To An LLC Without Homeowners’ Knowledge [Also Happens With Oil & Gas Property Rights]
[Posted: July 11, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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