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:
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard
-- DEP: Equitrans Water SVC LLC [EQT] Suffers Another Contaminated Water Release From Buried Shale Gas Wastewater Pipeline In Aleppo Twp., Greene County [PaEN]
-- DEP: INR Midstream LLC Failed To Prevent Accelerated Erosion, Sedimentation Along Cooper To Jost Van Dyke Gas & Water Pipelines Construction Right-Of-Way In Young Twp., Indiana County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Contaminated Water Storage Tank At Abandoned Conventional Oil Well Site Sat Broken Open For Nearly 3 Years With No Response From Owner In Clover Twp., Jefferson County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Raymond D. Langer Fails To Clean Up Contaminated Water Spills, Address Other Violations, Comply With DEP Order For 1,283 Days [PaEN]
-- DEP: Crude Oil Gathering Pipeline Failure In Conventional Oil Well Field Contaminated 750 Feet Of Chappel Fork Creek In Hamilton Twp., McKean County [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - July 25 [PaEN]
-- DEP To Adopt Regulations Limiting Methane Emissions From Conventional Oil & Gas, Shale Gas Infrastructure; Will Outline Approach At Aug. 6 Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee Meeting [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For Appalachia Midstream Services Natural Gas Pipeline In Elkland Twp., Sullivan County [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On MarkWest Liberty Midstream Project To Daylight 4 Natural Gas Pipelines To Prevent Damage From Longwall Coal Mining In West Finley Twp., Allegheny County [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Eastern Gas Transmission & Storage Daylighting Project For 30-Inch Natural Gas Pipeline To Prevent Longwall Coal Mining Damage In Greene County [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 21 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In June; 188 In 2026 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 54 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In July 25 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- Governor’s Office Published Regulatory Agenda, DEP Published Non-Regulatory (Technical Guidance) Agenda To Provide Opportunities For Public Involvement [PaEN]
-- Appalachian Transmission Company (FirstEnergy) - Milesburg 230KV Transmission Line Upgrade Project: DEP invites comments on Individual Stormwater Permit for a transmission line upgrade project located in Mifflinburg Borough, Centre County. (PA Bulletin, page 4412) Read more here.
-- Constellation Energy Generation LLC - Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant: DEP issued storage tank permits for two aboveground tanks-- 200,000 gallons and 50,000 gallon-- at the facility located in Londonderry Twp., Dauphin County. (PA Bulletin, page 4446)
Related Articles This Week:
-- DEP To Adopt Regulations Limiting Methane Emissions From Conventional Oil & Gas, Shale Gas Infrastructure; Will Outline Approach At Aug. 6 Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee Meeting [PaEN]
-- The Conversation: Pennsylvania Roads Are Being Coated In Radioactive Oil & Gas Wastewater - New DEP Well Permit Allows Uncontrolled Use [PaEN]
-- Penn State Geography Researchers Want Your Help To Develop Tool To Help Public Better Identify Threats To Health, Environment From Oil & Gas Development [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Spotlight PA: Josh Shapiro Built National Fame On Getting Things Done, But His Full Record Is Complex
-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Gov. Shapiro Walks A Fine Line On Climate; His Opponent Just Wants To Drill For Shale Gas
-- Sen. Yaw: Bill Signed Into Law To Ensure Responsible Solar Development [No Provisions Like This In Place For Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants, A.I. Data Centers, Natural Gas Processing Plants, Pipelines, Compressor Stations And Other Infrastructure Presenting Real Hazards]
-- Utility Dive: Natural Gas Power Generation Decreased 4% In 2025; Coal-Fired Power Plant Generation Increased 13%; Wind & Solar Generation Increased 3% and 34%
-- EQT Natural Gas Releases 2025 Sustainability Report: ‘Built For What’s Next’
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EQT Natural Gas Hits Net-Zero Emissions For 2nd Straight Year For Natural Gas Production
-- Financial Times: Oil Hits $100 For First Time Since May
[Posted: July 21, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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