On May 10, the Friends of Allegheny Wilderness issued an alert to its members on Facebook to be on the lookout for possible road dumping of conventional oil and gas wastewater in the Allegheny National Forest in Elk, Forest, McKean and Warren counties.

They are asking members, who frequently hike through the 517,000 acre National Forest, to report any road dumping they see to the Department of Environmental Protection at 800-541-2050 and to one of the U.S. Forest Service offices in the National Forest--

-- Warren: (814) 723-5150

-- Bradford: (814) 362-4613

-- Marienville: (814) 927-6628

The notice said in part-- “As always, it is good for all citizens to be a set of "forest watch" eyes and ears when you are out recreating in the Allegheny. If you see something, it is more than o.k. to say something!”

The alert was based on an article in PA Environment Digest about road dumping in the Allegheny National Forest and the position of the U.S. Forest Service against the practice as “unnecessary.”  Read more here.

The Department of Environmental Protection has determined the road dumping of conventional oil and gas wastewater does not meet the requirements of the state’s Residual Waste Regulations, therefore any road dumping going on on any road-- public or private-- to dispose of wastewater is illegal in the state.  Read more here.

The Allegheny National Forest relies on DEP to enforce oil and gas and waste disposal regulations within the National Forest.

There are over 4,500 conventional oil and gas wells within the National Forest and over 1,600 oil and gas wells abandoned by conventional well operators.  Read more here.

There are an estimated 1,250 private dirt and gravel roads built to access those drill sites and 677 miles of state and township roads within the National Forest.  Read more here.

The Forest Services does have authority over what happens on the roads it owns and requires conventional oil and gas operators to apply for permission before doing things like road dumping drilling wastewater.

However, the Forest Service has not had an application from an operator in over 12 years for road dumping, but there have been reports of citizens witnessing road dumping in the National Forest.

For more information on programs, initiatives, upcoming events, and how you can get involved, visit the Friends Of Allegheny Wilderness website.  Follow them on Facebook.   Click Here to sign up for regular email updates.

Friends seeks to foster an appreciation of wilderness values and benefits, and to work with local communities to ensure that increased wilderness protection is a priority of the stewardship of the Allegheny National Forest in Elk, Forest, McKean and Warren counties.
(Photos: Google Earth view of conventional oil & gas well pads in Allegheny National Forest; typical road spreading of conventional wastewater.)

Related Article:

-- Allegheny National Forest: Commercial Alternatives For Dust Suppression Makes The Practice Of Road Dumping Conventional Drilling Wastewater ‘Unnecessary’ On Roads

[Posted: May 11, 2022]

5/16/2022