DEP Shuts Down Potter County Gas Well Pre-Construction Site Over
Violations Impacting Public Water Supply
23 March 2011
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Dept. of Environmental Protection
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg PA., 17120
CONTACT: Katy Gresh, Department of Environmental Protection Southwest
Regional Office, 412-442-4203
WILLIAMSPORT -- The Department of Environmental Protection has ordered
Chesapeake Energy to cease work on a natural gas drilling well pad for
failing to comply with regulations and impacting one of Galeton Borough
Water Authority’s water sources.
The well pad was in the site-preparation phase, which occurs before any
well construction or drilling activities take place.
In conducting site-preparation activities at the Beech Flats well pad
in West Branch Township, Potter County, Chesapeake failed to implement
the required erosion and sediment controls. As a result, a significant
amount of sediment and silt discharged from the site into a stream that
is a tributary to a water source serving Galeton’s system. The Galeton
Water Authority has been forced to use another permitted water source
to serve its customers.
“In order to protect human health and the environment, we ordered
Chesapeake to stop all construction activity,” DEP
North-central Regional Director Nels Taber said. “They must begin
corrective action on this site immediately.”
By March 29, the company must correct the existing violations at the
site and review and revise, as appropriate, its Erosion and Sediment
Control Plan to prevent future damage. DEP will not permit Chesapeake
to resume construction at the site until all terms of the order are met.
After a routine site inspection March 8 and a March 10 meeting with
Chesapeake, DEP issued a notice of violation for several infractions of
the Clean Streams Law and Oil and Gas Act. The company did not respond
to the notice. During follow-up inspections March 21 and 22, staff
discovered the additional violations and impacts that resulted in the
March 22 order.
For more information about DEP, visit http://www.depweb.state.pa.us