The well pad owner notified DEP on September 8 at 8:30 a.m. that on September 7 at 7:50 p.m. a mist of contaminated water was released into the air from a storage tank. Not reported was how long the misting might have been occurring.
The owner also said more contaminated water was released into and off secondary containment which looked in inspection photos to have a berm about 1 foot high around the tank.
The owner initially estimated the release was about 25 gallons.
[Note: If the owner had reported a release of 42 gallons or more, it triggers cleanup requirements under the Act 2 Land Recycling Program.]
“The cause of the release was due to the dump line being stuck open which was caused by a technical communication malfunction,” the owner reported.
During the inspection, the owner’s environmental consultant was delineating the area of contamination with field measurements and screening contaminating pad materials.
A lined dumpster was onsite for disposal of the material, but remediation had not yet begun.
Photos sent to DEP after the inspection show a large area on two sides of the storage tank was scraped and contaminated material removed.
Multiple violations were issued, but DEP marked them “immediately corrected.” No follow-up actions were requested
Click Here for DEP’s 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.
(Photos: Area of the release around the tank; Area scrapped to remove contaminated material from around two sides of the storage tank.)
[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 Weekly Compliance Snapshot - September 5 to 11
-- DEP: Tank Valve Failure Leads To 4,610 Gallon Spill Of Contaminated Water At XTO Energy Inc. Shale Gas Well Pad In Butler County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Contaminated Water Misting Out Of Storage Tank, Fluid Spill At Expand Operating, LLC Shale Gas Well Pad In Bradford County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Thick Orange Fluid Leaking From Storage Tank At Conventional Gas & Gas Well Site In Monroeville, Allegheny County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Complaint Investigation Finds Conventional Well Venting Gas In A Manner Posing A Safety Risk To Nearby Residence In Mercer County [PaEN]
-- DEP Finds Conventional Well Venting Gas During Investigation Of Leaking Conventional Gas Gathering Line In Unity Twp., Westmoreland County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Drill Cuttings From Conventional Oil & Gas Well Improperly Spread Over Drill Site For Disposal In McKean County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Pressure Testing Confirms Casing/Cementing Failures In 3 Expand Operating LLC Shale Gas Wells In Bradford County, Including One New Violation [PaEN]
-- DEP Issued 2nd Round Of Major Erosion & Sedimentation Violations At Equitrans Water SVC (PA) [EQT] Jaybird Shale Gas Water Impoundment Restoration Site In Washington County [PaEN]
[Posted: September 10, 2026] PA Environment Digest
No comments :
Post a Comment