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The Derrick: PUC Judge Issues Emergency Order Appointing Aqua Pennsylvania As Temporary Operator For 6 Rhodes Estate Water Companies [Serious Community Impacts Continue From Conventional Oil Well Spill In Venango County]

On October 19, The Derrick reported that Public Utility Commission Administrative Law Judge Mark A. Hoyer issued an interim emergency order on October 17 appointing Aqua Pennsylvania as temporary receiver of six Rhodes Estate water companies and takeover operating them on October 31.

Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc. was appointed receiver of the Sugarcreek Water Company, West Hickory Water Company, Plumer Water Company, Fryburg Water Company, and Cooperstown Water Company and Aqua Pennsylvania Wastewater, Inc. was named receiver for Blaine E. Rhodes Sewer Company.

Aqua Pennsylvania is already temporarily operating the seventh Rhodes Estate company-- Venango Water Company supplying water to the Village of Reno-- as a result of a PUC emergency order issued on August 11, 2023 due to contamination of one of its water sources by a wastewater spill from a conventional oil well owned by Petro Erie, Inc.

During a telephone hearing on October 15, Judge Hoyer found the six Rhodes water companies will have no employees or certified operators as of November 1, due to the resignation of Randall and Kevin Rhodes as operators of the systems and there are no plans to address this emergency by the companies between now and then.

Since the customers of the six utilities must be provided with water and wastewater services after October 31, an emergency exists that would impact public health and safety if the customers went without those services, according to testimony at the hearing held by Judge Hoyer this week.

The new emergency order requires the six companies to preserve and make available all financial, property and other records and take steps to turn over access to the physical operations of the companies to Aqua Pennsylvania to allow for an orderly transition.

The companies were also ordered to cease all billings to customers and collections as of October 31 to allow Aqua Pennsylvania to take over that function, just like it has with the Venango Water Company.

The six companies were also ordered to immediately provide notice to their customers of the appointment of Aqua Pennsylvania as the temporary receiver.

Aqua Pennsylvania is required to provide an initial status report on the operation of the water companies to the Commission within 60 days of the order and then every three months.

Aqua is also required by the order to make an assessment of the operational and financial condition of the water companies.

The new interim emergency order says it will be in place until there is a final decision on the future operation and management of all seven Rhodes Estate water utilities and a final order is issued by the Public Utility Commission.

The interim emergency order must be reviewed by the full Public Utility Commission under its regulations.

The Public Utility Commission hearings on the future of the seven Rhodes Estate water companies began on December 20 of last year when Randall and Kevin Rhodes made it clear they no longer wanted to be certified operators of the companies.

udge Hoyer originally established a schedule for considering the future of the Rhodes Estate water companies that would have completed hearings on the issues by the end of this year.

However, that schedule was upended when Randall and Kevin Rhodes said in September they were resigning as water system operators as of October 31 resulting in this new emergency order.

The Rhodes Estate water companies serve a total of 1,047 customers--

-- Sugarcreek Water Company: 67 residential, 1 commercial, 3 public customers [Sugarcreek Boro, Venango County]

-- West Hickory Water Company: 172 residential, 3 commercial, 2 public customers [Harmony Twp., Forest County]

-- Plumer Water Company: 53 residential, 1 commercial, 4 public customers [Cornplanter Twp., Venango County]

-- Fryburg Water Company: 165 residential, 15 commercial, 6 public customer [Pinegrove Twp., Venango County; Washington Twp., Clarion County]

-- Cooperstown Water Company: 127 residential customers [Cooperstown Boro & Jackson Twp., Venango County]

-- Blaine E. Rhodes Sewer Company: 180 residential, 25 commercial, 4 industrial, 5 public customers [Sugarcreek Boro, Venango County]

-- Venango Water Company: 179 residential, 26 commercial, 4 industrial, 5 public customers [Sugarcreek Boro, Venango County]

Documents related to this PUC proceeding can be found at PUC Docket No. M-2023-3042180 and I-2023-3042312.

Visit the Aqua Pennsylvania Rhodes Estate Water Company Customers webpage for more information on the Venango Water company receivership.

Visit DEP’s Venango Water Company/Petro Erie, Inc. webpage to learn more about the actions taken by DEP.

NewsClip:

-- The Derrick: Aqua Pennsylvania Will Run 6 More Rhodes Estates Water Systems [PDF of Article]

Related Articles - Village Of Reno Water Contamination:

-- The Derrick: PUC Considering Emergency Order To Have Aqua Pennsylvania Take Over 6 Rhodes Estate Water Companies [Fallout Continues From Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill 15 Months Ago In Venango County] [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: Are Rate Increases In The Future For Rhodes Estate Water Companies In Venango County? [Impacts Continue From Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Contamination Of Water Supply] [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: PUC To Hold Second Hearing July 15 On Venango Water Company [Impacts Continue From Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Contamination Of Water Supply] [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: PUC Judge Orders 7 Rhodes Estate Water Companies To Secure Counsel For Hearings On Their Future [More Fallout From Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill In Venango County] [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: PUC To Hold May 21 Prehearing On Future Of Venango Water Company; Water Source Contaminated By Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: State Intervenes In Venango Water Case [Fallout Continues From Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill] [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: Public Utility Commission Starts Investigation Into Possible Order For Another Utility To Permanently Acquire Venango Water Company Impacted By Conventional Oil Well Spill [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: Aqua Pennsylvania Continues To Operate The Water System Serving The Village Of Reno After A Conventional Well Wastewater Release Contaminated Its Water Supply Last July In Venango County [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: DEP: Little Headway In Reno Oil Well Wastewater Cleanup In Venango County [PaEN

-- The Derrick: Permanent Alternate Water Supply Being Considered For Village Of Reno, Venango County After Contamination By Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill [PaEN]

-- Petro Erie, Inc. Says It Lacks The Financial Ability To Comply With DEP’s Order To Clean Up Conventional Oil Well Wastewater That Contaminated The Village Of Reno’s Water Supply In Venango County; Will Taxpayers/Ratepayers Be Stuck With Cleanup Costs Again? [PaEN]

-- Do Not Consume Water Advisory Lifted In Village Of Reno; Petro Erie, Inc. Barely Begins Cleanup Of Conventional Oil Wastewater Spill Site That Contaminated The Water Supply In Venango County [PaEN]

-- DEP Finds 2 More Petro Erie, Inc. Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Tanks With A Pipe Leading To A Discharge Area In A Ditch In Sugarcreek Boro, Venango County [PaEN]

-- Mayor Of Sugarcreek Asks For Donations To Refill Village Of Reno Water Tank After Contamination In Venango County; Emergency Water Distribution Resumes; Contamination From Conventional Oil Wastewater Tanks Suspected [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: DEP Issues Order To Petro Erie, Inc. To Restore Village Of Reno Water System, Cleanup Contamination Caused By Its Conventional Well Wastewater Release; 1 Month Without Clean Water [PaEN]

-- DEP Investigates Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Leak As Possible Source Of Village Of Reno Water Supply Contamination In Venango County; Customers Under Do Not Consume Advisory For 2+ Weeks [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - October 5 to 18 - Conventional Well Owners Issued 767 Violations For Abandoning Their Wells - So Far, More Than Double Number In 2019; Leaking Gas Storage Area Wells [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - October 12 [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - October 19 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 87 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In October 12 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 57 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In October 19 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

Related Articles This Week:

-- Pennsylvania Voters Overwhelmingly Support Stricter Regulations On Fracking, New Poll Finds [PaEN]

-- Saint Vincent College Study Finds Counties With Shale Gas Fracking Wells Using Chemicals That Target Certain Hormones Have Greater Incidence Of Pre-Term Births, Low Birth Weights [PaEN]

-- Beaver County Residents Invited To Join An Oct. 23 In-Person Tour Of Shale Gas Fracking Sites & Infrastructure In Washington County And Discover Its Costs [PaEN]

-- Observer-Reporter Letter: There’s Another Side To The 'Shale Gas Revolution' [PaEN]

-- Sen. Bartolotta, Sen. Yaw Announce Bill To Withhold Gas Drilling Impact Fees To Municipalities That Set More Protective Standards On Natural Gas Development Than State Law, And While There Is a Legal Challenge To Local Restrictions [PaEN]

-- Observer-Reporter Guest Essay: Why Politicians Want You To Pay More For Natural Gas - By Patrick McDonnell, CEO of PennFuture, Former Secretary of DEP [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection Winter Outlook: Adequate Power Supplies Available Under Normal Conditions; PJM Delays Next Power Auction After Prices Spike [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: PUC Judge Issues Emergency Order Appointing Aqua Pennsylvania As Temporary Operator For 6 Rhodes Estate Water Companies [Serious Community Impacts Continue From Conventional Oil Well Spill In Venango County] [PaEN]

-- DEP Begins Accepting Applications For New Methane Reduction Grants To Plug Conventional Oil, Gas Wells Oct. 16 [PaEN]

-- Evangelical Environmental Network Delivers Over 36,000 Comments From Pro-Life Christians To Gov. Shapiro, DEP In Support Of Strong Oil & Gas Industry Methane Emission Controls [PaEN]

-- Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community Receives Grant To Strengthen Communications and Community Engagement Initiatives [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Conditions Trigger Low-Flow Water Use Restrictions At 9 Shale Gas Water Withdrawals In Bradford, Susquehanna, Tioga Counties [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Proposed Air Quality General Permit (GP-16) Covering Gaseous Fuel-Fired Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engines [Copy Of Documents ]

-- Team PA & Clean Air Task Force Convene Leaders To Discuss Challenges, Opportunities Of Industrial Decarbonization; DOE Provides Update On Decarbonization Investments In PA [PaEN]

-- Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community Urges EPA To Move Forward With Strong Regulation Of Vinyl Chloride Under Federal Toxic Substances Control Act, While Calling For A Ban [PaEN]

-- EPA Files $4.2 Million Settlement Of Air Pollution Violations For 2019 Philadelphia Refinery Explosion, Fire; Public Comments Invited [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- The Energy Age Blog: ‘Amity & Prosperity’ By Eliza Griswold Thrust Fracking In Washington County, PA Into The National Spotlight