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DEP: Seneca Resources Ignores NOVs On DCNR Shale Gas Well Pad Cleanup For 7 Months & Counting; Citizen Complaint Finds Homeowner Well Venting Gas; Multiple Tanker Truck Spills

According to a DEP inspection last week, Seneca Resources Co., LLC has failed to respond to notices of violations to cleanup a shale gas well pad on DCNR State Forest land in Delmar Township, Tioga County for seven months and counting.

On May 8, DEP did a follow-up inspection on a Seneca Resources Co., LLC shale gas well site known as DCNR TR 007 Pad D in Delmar Township, Tioga County to determine if there was any progress in cleaning up drilling wastewater on the site.

The site is located in the High Quality Pine Creek Watershed.

On September 28, 2022 DEP issued notices of violations related to standing water and numerous puddles of wastewater on the site sampling shows contained elevated levels of strontium, aluminum and iron. [DEP 9.28.2022 inspection/sample results report]

DEP issued notices of violation for--

-- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

-- Failed to Prevent Potential Pollution of the Waters of Commonwealth

Seneca was supposed to provide DEP with a written response to the NOVs along with a description of its cleanup plans by October 12, 2022.

During the May 8 inspection, DEP found Seneca was continuing to operate the wells and was staging truck traffic on the well pad, but had made no progress on cleaning up the wastewater on the site.

DEP also noted Seneca had not responded to the requirement in the original NOVs to submit a written report by October 12, 2022.

DEP again asked Seneca to respond with a written report by May 22, 2022 on how they plan to bring the well site into compliance. [DEP 5.8.23 inspection report]

Homeowner Well Venting Gas

On May 9, DEP inspected two wells operated by Margaret E. and Shawn M. Lawry known as the Richard Applebee 3 and 4 conventional gas wells in Venango Township, Erie County in response to a citizen complaint that one of the wells was venting natural gas.

The Applebee 4 well turned out to be the well venting gas which could be heard by the inspector as he drove into the driveway of the home.

The well is located 20 yards from a garage and 20 yards from a propane tank.

The inspector noted both wells are being used as a source of gas for the house only and had not been inspected for ten years.

DEP issued notices of violation to the wells owners for--

-- Venting natural gas into the atmosphere;

-- Failure to Notify DEP And Take Action To Repair, Replace Defective Well Equipment, Casing That Compromise Integrity Of Well;

-- Failure To Submit Well Integrity Report; and

-- Failure To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report.

DEP requested the owner to respond with a written report by June 6, 2023 describing how they would bring the well and its operation into compliance. [DEP inspection report]

DEP also inspected 8 other home gas-type conventional wells operated by BCD Prop, Inc. in Waterford Township in Erie County and issued notices of violation for failing to submit annual well integrity reports.

The wells had not been inspected within the last 10 years.

The James E. Marsh 1 conventional well was typical with rusted wellhead piping and a fiber glass production wastewater tank without secondary containment. [DEP inspection report]

Tanker Spill At PA Shale Gas Well Tract

On May 9, DEP did an inspection in response to a report by XTO Energy, Inc. of a spill of production wastewater from a tanker truck from the PA Tract 8546H shale gas Well Pad in Chapman Township, Clinton County.

The spill occurred on 9 different areas of Dry Run Road leading to the Well Pad and on the short access road to the Well Pad. The cause of the spill is suspected to be an open scrubber valve on the tanker truck.

The size of the spills along the short access road and Dry Run Road varied in size from approximately 140 ft. x 8 ft. to 15 ft. x 10 in. DEP and XTO delineated and marked the 9 different spill areas for XTO contractors to begin excavating the impacted soil.

The volume of the spill is unknown. XTO was still investigating.

DEP issued notices of violation for--

-- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

-- Failed to Prevent Potential Pollution of the Waters of Commonwealth

XTO plans to remediate the spill sites according to the Act 2 Land Recycling remediation standards. [DEP inspection report.]

Failed To Report Release

On May 9, DEP inspected the Diversified Prod LLC Fee/Kauffman conventional gas well in Bell Township, Clearfield County and found evidence of a release from the onsite production wastewater tank.

DEP issued notices of violation to the operator for failing to report a release that caused or threatens to cause pollution and failure to collect production wastewater.

DEP requested Diversified to respond to the NOVs with a plan for bringing the site into compliance by May 25. [DEP inspection report]

[Note: Click Here for more details on some of the new violations this week.]

[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.]

(Photos: top- Seneca Resources DCNR well pad; XTO Energy, Inc. one of multiple tank truck spills; Lawry homeowner well venting gas; bottom- BCD Prop, Inc. James Marsh well (2 photos); Diversified Prod LLC Fee/Kauffman well site release.)

PA Oil & Gas Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - May 6 to 12; Equitrans Gas Storage Area Issued New NOVs [PaEN]

-- DEP: Seneca Resources Ignores NOVs On DCNR Shale Gas Well Pad Cleanup For 7 Months & Counting; Citizen Complaint Finds Homeowner Well Venting Gas; Multiple Tanker Truck Spills [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment May 13 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 61 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In May 13 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Compliance Reports

-- Feature: 60 Years Of Fracking, 20 Years Of Shale Gas: Pennsylvania’s Oil & Gas Industrial Infrastructure Is Hiding In Plain Sight [PaEN]

-- Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Failed To File Annual Production/Waste Generation Reports For 61,655 Wells; Attorney General Continues Investigation Of Road Dumping Wastewater [PaEN]

-- DEP Issued 754 Notices Of Violation For Defective Oil & Gas Well Casing, Cementing, The Fundamental Protection Needed To Prevent Gas Migration, Groundwater & Air Contamination, Explosions [PaEN]

-- DEP Report Finds: Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Routinely Abandon Wells; Fail To Report How Millions Of Gallons Of Waste Is Disposed; And Non-Compliance Is An ‘Acceptable Norm’ [PaEN]

-- DEP 2021 Oil & Gas Program Annual Report Shows Conventional Oil & Gas Operators Received A Record 610 Notices Of Violation For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industry Has Record Year: Cost, Criminal Convictions Up; $3.1 Million In Penalties Collected; Record Number Of Violations Issued; Major Compliance Issues Uncovered; Evidence Of Health Impacts Mounts [PaEN]