DEP: Equitrans Water SVC LLC [EQT] Suffers Another Contaminated Water Release From Buried Shale Gas Wastewater Pipeline In Aleppo Twp., Greene County

On July 15, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection inspected the NIDGH015 shale gas wastewater pipeline in response to a notification by Equitrans Water SVC LLC [EQT] of a release of contaminated water in Aleppo Township, Greene County.

The release of an unknown quantity of contaminated water occurred on July 14 at approximately 6:00 p.m. approximately 1,200 feet southwest of the EQT Walter Stinger shale gas well pad.

“It appears that a riser and valve within the vault failed resulting in a release within the vault which flowed from a hole cut in the side of the vault.”

“The vault appears to be constructed from a pre-formed plastic or welded plastic riser and bottom. The bottom of the vault appears to be welded or fused but is unclear if the bottom of the vault is completely sealed.”

DEP said the pipeline vault did not appear on the approved Erosion and Sedimentation Plan and wetlands and a stream near the vault were not delineated on the plans.

Excavation was underway next to the vault to document the extent of the soil contamination and two roll-off boxes were staged at the well pad to hold contaminated soil.

Multiple violations were issued.  DEP requested a written response to the violations by July 31.

The response is to include an explanation of how the failure occurred, the quantity of contaminated water releases, proposed cleanup plan and an assessment of impacts to waters of the Commonwealth from the release.

The response should also include an explanation of any issues that were identified and the repairs that were made to the pipeline prior to the release.

Click Here for the DEP inspection report + photos.

Earlier Equitrans Pipeline Release 

On June 25 and June 29, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection conducted incident inspections in response to a notification on June 17, 2026  by Equitrans Water SVC (PA) LLC [EQT] of a release of wastewater from a pipeline connected to its Richter Shale Gas Water Impoundment during reclamation of the site in Aleppo Township, Greene County.   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.

[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 - Shale Gas Pipeline Violations In June/July:

-- DEP: Equitrans Water SVC Reports Wastewater Release From Pipeline Connected To Richter Shale Gas Water Impoundment During Reclamation In Aleppo Twp., Greene County; Drainage Pipes Held Together By Duct Tape  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Coterra Energy Aboveground Shale Gas Water Pipeline Failed Twice In The Same Section 23 Days Apart In Dimock Twp., Susquehanna County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: E&S Violations Continuing As Keystone Clearwater Solutions Decommissions And Removes Clark To Westholme Shale Gas Aboveground Water Pipeline In Springville Twp., Susquehanna County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Finds Multiple Holes In Pipeline Liner, Failure To Comply With Erosion & Sedimentation Permit At Expand Operating Aboveground Shale Gas Water Pipeline Construction Site In Bradford 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] 

NewsClip:

-- EQT Releases 2025 Sustainability Report: ‘Built For What’s Next’

[Posted: July 21, 2026]  PA Environment Digest