PA Environment Digest Blog: 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

On September 2, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection did a follow-up inspection of the K Petroleum, Inc. Cecil 2 P228 shale gas well site in Somerset Township, Washington County and found no actions have been taken to address August 19 violations.

DEP’s August 19 inspection of the site in response to a complaint found contaminated water flowing down the side of a storage tank

The site has no secondary containment around three contaminated water storage tanks.

DEP said the two metal tanks have multiple corrosion holes visible at several points around the tanks and were the site of the release.

DEP field measurements of conductivity of the fluid running down the side of one of the metal tanks was “OR (over detectable range),” i.e. higher than the maximum limit of the meter.

Measurements around the base of the tanks found more evidence of contamination. Read more here.

During the September 2 inspection, DEP contacted the owner about a timeline for the removal of the tanks and the remediation of the contaminated soil.

The owner said he was preparing a response to the August 19 violations and arranging for a contractor to do the work “as soon as they can get it scheduled.”

A written response is due to DEP September 7 on the August 19 violations.

All violations were continued, including failure to have an Emergency Response Plan onsite.

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.

(Photos from September 2 DEP inspection report.)

[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 Snapshot - 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