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Oil & Gas Advisory Board To Hear DEP Update On Water, Wastewater Shale Gas Well Development Pipelines; Methane Migration; Guidance On Dewatering Impoundments March 20

DEP’s Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board is scheduled to meet on March 20 to hear updates on water and wastewater shale gas well development pipelines, methane migration and guidance on dewatering water impoundments.

Also on the agenda are the federally-funded conventional oil and gas well plugging program, oil and gas wastewater injection well permitting and other topics.

Water/Wastewater Pipelines

Dan Counahan, Director of the Bureau of Oil and Gas Operations, is on the agenda to provide an update on the hundreds of miles of water and wastewater pipelines that carry millions of gallons of water used to develop shale gas wells.

There have been a series of significant incidents of water pipelines splitting and breaking releasing water that contaminated drinking water wells and streams.

The water wells of several families in Cameron County were contaminated after a Seneca Resources wastewater pipeline ruptured and spilled an estimated 18,000 gallons of wastewater. Read more here.

A Range Resources water pipeline whipped around like a garden hose after suffering a blowout that launched a “pig” sent through the line to clean it into the air. Read more here.

In another, a CNX wastewater pipeline continued pumping for 24+ hours after it was punctured by earth moving equipment. Read more here.

Water intakes and related freshwater pipelines have also caused issues, notably in the Exceptional Value Loyalsock Watershed in Lycoming County where a water intake and related pipelines resulted in significant water quality violations as they crossed the stream. Read more here.

Real questions have been raised about how many miles of each type of water and wastewater pipelines and whether they are even mapped.

Other questions include whether any agency regulates how the pipelines themselves are constructed (materials, construction, maintenance methods), how they are secured to prevent ruptures and whether there are any standards for their operation and continuous monitoring.

[The answer to that is the Public Utility Commission has no jurisdiction and DEP doesn’t have comprehensive standards on construction or operation of these frequently high pressure pipelines.]

There are also questions about how and when water well owners and public water suppliers are notified of spills that could affect them.

Hopefully, some of these questions will be answered.

Water Impoundments

DEP proposed draft Technical Guidance for Maintaining Freeboard and Dewatering Well Development Impoundments for shale gas well development on January 4. Read more here.

The guidance outlines how shale gas well owners can develop a plan to prevent pollution to the waters of this Commonwealth as it relates to land application of excess water from a well development impoundment for maintaining freeboard while the impoundment is in use and also for dewatering the impoundment of all water prior to decommissioning it for restoration.

The public comment period closed February 3.

Public Comment

Members of the public who wish to provide comments are requested to register and provide their written remarks at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting with Board Liaison, Todd Wallace at twallace@pa.gov or by telephone at (717) 783-6395.

Members of the public will be provided 3 minutes to speak. Members of the public who do not register in advance and wish to provide comment may be permitted to do so after all registered commenters have spoken and if additional time remains during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Joining The Meeting

The meeting will be held in Room 105 of the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg starting at 10:00 a.m.

Click Here to join the meeting via Microsoft Teams [Meeting ID: 239 606 213 059, Passcode: jv3NG7Wh ] or by phone (267) 332-8737, ID: 711 951 187#

Visit the DEP Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board webpage for available handouts and other background. Questions should be directed to Todd M. Wallace, twallace@pa.gov or (717) 783-6395.

(Photo: Seneca Resources wastewater pipeline ruptured in Cameron County and spilled 18,000 gallons contaminating water wells; 2 Photos Of PA General Energy Company water intake and pipelines constructed on Exceptional Value Loyalsock Creek, Lycoming County.)

Resource Links - Wastewater Pipelines:

-- CNX Gas Company Reports It Did Not Stop Pumping Shale Gas Wastewater Through A Punctured Pipeline For 24+ Hours During An Incident In Morris Township, Greene County In May

-- No One Warned A Cameron County Family Their Water Well Was Contaminated By A Seneca Resources Shale Gas Wastewater Pipeline Rupture [PaEN]

-- DEP Finds Shale Gas Wastewater Pipeline Sprayed & Leaked 12,600+ Gallons For Nearly 3 Hours In Gilmore Twp., Greene County [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Nov. 2 to 8 - 8,800 Gallon Shale Gas Wastewater Spill; Failure To Comply With Plugging Order; Spills, Releases, Gas Leaks [PaEN]

-- Oil & Gas Wastewater Release At Bear Lake Properties Injection Well In Warren County Went Unreported For 109 Days; More Contamination Discovered Along Related Wastewater Pipeline Route

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 20 to 26 - Abandoned Well Violations To Owner Of 727 Conventional Wells ‘Returned To Sender,’ More Wastewater Pipeline Spills; 2nd Attempt To Plug Shale Gas Well [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 6 to 12 - Double Shale Gas Wastewater Pipeline Failure; 19 + 12 Abandoned Conventional Wells; Draining Water Impoundment By Spraying [PaEN]

-- Oil & Gas Wastewater Release At Bear Lake Properties Injection Well In Warren County Went Unreported For 109 Days; More Contamination Discovered Along Related Wastewater Pipeline Route [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Dec. 9 to 15 - 500 Conventional Abandoned Well Violations; 25 Days Of Shale Gas Water Withdrawals Without Permission; Wastewater Pipeline Spill [PaEN]

-- Protect PT, Three Rivers Waterkeeper Appeal DEP Permits For CNX Slickville Natural Gas, Shale Gas Wastewater Pipelines Project In Westmoreland County [PaEN]