DEP noted well fracking and recovery activities were continuing on eight shale gas wells at the pad.
Specifically, DEP said well servicing equipment was at well 74HU which “took a hit during stimulation operations being conducted on the nearby Chappell well pad.”
DEP is investigating a well “communication” [interference] incident involving Seneca’s Chappell, Bauer 849 and Taft shale gas well pads. Read more here.
DEP said work needs to be done on erosion and sediment control measures to convert the to post construction stormwater structures.
Field testing of fluids at the stormwater sump collecting water from the pad and sediment basin-- which still contained standing water-- found levels that warranted continuing the violations issued in 2024.
"The DEP recommends that Seneca continues to monitor the conditions on the pad surface and the sediment basin and remove elevated conductance fluids and soils as discovered. Prevent elevated conductance fluids from leaving the facility and causing pollution to the waters of the Commonwealth."
Violations at the well pad were continued now for 740 days.
DEP did not request a write follow-up from Seneca.
Click Here for DEP inspection report + photos.
Original Incident
Violations for the wastewater releases at the Taft site were originally issued on October 23, 2024.
DEP found contaminated water on the pad outside containment that was running down a 40 foot channel at the pad outfall and then draining into a sediment basin, running over a sediment filter sock and leaving the site.
DEP found similar conditions-- spills, crews trying to clean up the pad while drilling and fracking new shale gas wells continues-- starting October 23, 2024, then on July 11, 2025, August 21, 2025, October 2, 2025, October 31, 2025, December 23, 2025, January 21, 2026, April 21, 2026, June 23, 2026, July 17, 2026, September 23, 2026 and November 2, 2026.
Casing/Cementing Failure
A July 27, 2026 inspection of the 75HU Utica shale gas well at this same Taft shale gas well pad found evidence of continuing casing/cementing failure originally discovered on Nov. 13, 2024.
The violation was continued and so will the monitoring.
“Frac Hit” Between 3 Seneca Wells
October DEP inspections of three Seneca Resource Co LL shale gas well pads in Middlebury Township, Tioga County found the close proximity of horizontal shale gas well drilling and fracking have apparently caused well “communication” (interference) issues.
On October 6, 2026, DEP inspected the Seneca Resources Co LLC Bauer 849 shale gas well pad in response to a notification of three contaminated water spills.
DEP found a fiber optic cable got stuck down a Bauer gas well during an investigation of a “frac hit" from a well originating at the nearby Taft shale gas well pad in the same township.
Criminal Charges
On October 31, 2025, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced criminal charges against Seneca Resources, LLC, following multiple violations of Pennsylvania’s environmental protection laws in several counties, as recommended by the 48th and 51st Statewide Investigating Grand Juries.
Three separate criminal complaints were filed regarding the natural gas company’s violations related to improper waste management practices and policies.
Prominent in the Attorney General’s announcement of the charges was the fact that DEP repeatedly warned Seneca that their practices were not in line with Pennsylvania law, but those warnings were ignored or disputed. Read more here.
In all, Seneca is charged with 64 counts of violations of the Solid Waste Management Act and 36 counts of violations of the Clean Streams Law in Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga Counties. 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.
(Photos: Stormwater sump at the pad; Sediment basin with standing water.)
[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 - Seneca Resources:
-- Attorney General Sunday: Criminal Charges Filed Against Seneca Resources For 64 Counts Of Illegal Dumping Of Shale Gas Waste In Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga Counties [PaEN]
-- No One Warned A Cameron County Family Their Water Well Was Contaminated By A Seneca Resources Shale Gas Wastewater Pipeline Rupture [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 740: Seneca Resources Continues Shale Gas Well Development At Taft Pad While Problems With Contaminated Water Persist At The Tioga County Site [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 700: Seneca Resources Continues To Manage Contaminated Water From Taft Shale Gas Well Pad In Tioga County [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 632: Seneca Resources Installs Trench, Concrete Catch Basin To Collect Continuing Releases Of Contaminated Water From The Taft Shale Gas Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Day 609 - Sample Results Confirm Continued Wastewater Releases At Seneca Resources Taft Shale Gas Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Day 587 And Counting: Seneca Resources Continues To Release Wastewater, Frack New Shale Gas Wells At Taft Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Day 545 And Counting: Seneca Resources Continues To Release Wastewater, Frack New Shale Gas Wells At Taft Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Spills, Releases Continue At Seneca Resources Taft Shale Gas Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County For 373 Days And Counting [PaEN]
-- DEP Day 239: Seneca Resources Wastewater Cleanup, Monitoring Efforts Continue At Vandergrift Shale Gas Well Pad In Charleston Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]
PA Oil & Gas, Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- Pennsylvania Weekly Oil & Gas Compliance Snapshot - Oct. 31 to Nov. 6 [PaEN]
-- DEP: Routine Inspections Find 6 More Anderson Energy SVC LLC Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned, Not Plugged In Venango County [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 72: INR OPR LLC Still Collecting Contaminated Water, Building Structures To Recover Water At Cooper Shale Gas Pad From August Spill Of 336,000 Gallons Of Fracking Water In Indiana County [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 135: Contaminated Water Discharges Continue, Still Fails To Comply With Cleanup Order At Equitrans Water SVC [EQT] Richter Shale Gas Water Impoundment In Greene County [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 609: Oil & Gas MGMT Inc. Failed To Take Actions Or Respond To Violations At 2 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells In Westmoreland County [PaEN]
-- DEP - Day 740: Seneca Resources Continues Shale Gas Well Development At Taft Pad While Problems With Contaminated Water Persist At The Tioga County Site [PaEN]
-- DEP: Spill Of Just 1 Barrel Of Conventional Crude Oil From Storage Tanks In The City Of Warren Impacts 7 Miles Of Allegheny River [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Reports Low-Flow Stream Conditions Trigger Stop To 51 Shale Gas Water Withdrawals, 13 More Put On Watch Status [PaEN]
-- PUC Approves $150,000 Penalty Settlement With UGI For Faulty Plastic Natural Gas Pipe Installation Practices [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - November 7 [PaEN]
-- DEP To Hold Dec. 17 Meeting, January 7 Hearing On First Title V Air Quality Permit For The Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County [PaEN]
-- DEP Restarts Comment Period On Chapter 105 Permit For NFG Midstream Covington Double Natural Gas Pipelines Thru Farmington, Deerfield, Chatham Twps. In Tioga County [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For CNX Midstream Operating Company Daylighting Project To Protect 3 Pipeline From Longwall Coal Mining Damage In Greene County [PaEN]
-- DEP To Hold Dec. 8 In-Person Community Update On Energy Transfer/Sunoco Jet Fuel Pipeline Rupture Cleanup In Upper Makefield Twp., Bucks County [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 56 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In November 7 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues Air Quality Permit To Amazon Data Services For Installation Of 76 Diesel-Fired Backup Generators At New Data Center Project In Falls Twp., Bucks County [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- PA Election Results: Democrats Now Control PA Senate, Retain PA House, Governor’s Office [PaEN]
-- Guest Essay: All Brine From Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Contains Hazardous Pollutants, Why Are We Still Dumping It On Our Roads? - By David E. Hess, Former Secretary, PA Department Of Environmental Protection [PaEN]
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - November 9 [PaEN]
-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council, Environmental Justice Advisory Board Meet Nov. 10 On Fossil Fuel Impacts On Communities, Mapping PA’s Energy Infrastructure [PaEN]
-- Lehigh University Joins PA Team To Turn Aging Shale Gas Well Into Geothermal Power Source In Indiana County; Studies Show Geothermal Could Meet 100% Of PA Electricity, Heating, Most Industrial Needs [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection Winter Outlook: Power Supplies Should Be Available To Meet Expected Cold Weather Conditions [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- MonValley Independent: Pennsylvania Opens New Loophole For Conventional Oil And Gas Wastewater Disposal On Roads
-- TheDerrick.com Guest Essay: Fossil Fuel Industry Follows Big Tobacco’s Disinformation - By Kathy Mulvey, InsideSources.com
-- KYW: Jet Fuel Pipeline Struck During Construction In Bridgeport Boro, Montgomery County
-- Rolling Stone - Justin Nobel: Ohio Denies Evidence Of Fracking Waste In Drinking Water, Its Own Records Show Otherwise
-- Inquirer: A Hard Winter Is Coming For PA Homes That Heat With Oil
-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: How Will EQT’s Plan To Buy Range Resources Affect Natural Gas Market? [Data Centers, Price Shaped By Global Events]
-- Financial Times: President’s Diesel Fuel Deal With Russia Falters As 2 Tanks Change Course Away From US
-- Wall Street Journal: President Pushes To Restore Russian Natural Gas Sales To Europe Via Ukraine
-- Financial Times: Petrol Prices Set To Hit Record High Under President’s Administration
[Posted: November 7, 2026 ] PA Environment Digest
