PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP: Contaminated Water, Cement Spill, No Secondary Containment Or Sedimentation Controls At Conventional Well Plugging Site In Indiana County

On September 18, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection was notified of a September 17 spill of contaminated water and cement during plugging operations at the Greylock Conventional LLC Stella Temchulla 1 conventional well in Canoe Township, Indiana County.

DEP’s inspection report said cement and contaminated water returned to the surface through an 8 inch hole in the well casing and was released onto the well pad and a small amount flowed into an adjacent wooded area.

L&J Oilfield Services, the plugging contractor, did not notify Greylock of the spill.

The spill was estimated to be less than 42 gallons and DEP said a “visual cleanup is appropriate for this site.”

A spill reported as larger than 42 gallons could have triggered Act 2 Land Recycling Program cleanup procedures.

In addition, there was no secondary containment in place around the well plugging operation and no erosion and sedimentation controls around the perimeter of the well site.

Multiple violations were issued and DEP requested a response by October 5.

Click Here for the DEP inspection report + photos.

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.]

PA Oil & Gas Industry, Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard- September 12 to 18 [PaEN]

-- DEP - Day 29: Cleanup Of 336,000 Gallon Spill Of Fracking Flowback Fluid From An Uncontrolled Shale Gas Well Continues At INR OPR LLC Pad In Young Twp., Indiana County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Routine Inspection Finds Contaminated Water From GASP Investment Conventional Oil & Gas Well Leaking From Tank In Bell Twp., Jefferson County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Wind Tipped Over Conventional Crude Oil Tank, Spill Travels Nearly 1,000 Feet Down Access Road, Seeps Into A Stream On State Game Lands In Knox Twp., Jefferson County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Contaminated Water, Cement Spill, No Secondary Containment Or Sedimentation Controls At Conventional Well Plugging Site In Indiana County [PaEN]

-- DEP Confirms Gas Leak In Gathering Pipeline From Conventional Well Owned By Mid East Oil Co. In Unity Twp., Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- DEP: CNX Gas Co., LLC Fails To Restore Drakulic Shale Gas Well Site To Meet Standards Before Permit Expires In Penn Twp., Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- DEP - Day 5,284: Pressure Testing Confirms Shale Gas Well Casing/Cementing Failure Continues At EXCO Resources PA Well Pad In Sullivan County [PaEN]

-- DEP - Day 1,391: Complaint Inspection Finds BKV OPR LLC Shale Gas Well With Known Casing/Cement Failure Venting Gas In Wyoming County [PaEN]

-- DEP - Day 14: No Action Taken At K Petroleum Inc. Shale Gas Well Site Where Contaminated Water Found Flowing Down Side Of Storage Tank In Washington County [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front: Inadequate Safety And Training Led To 2025 Explosion At Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County, Federal Safety Board Finds