DEP reports problems at Indiana County well-plugging site

What DEP identified

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection identified several environmental problems at a conventional well-plugging site in Indiana County. The conditions included contaminated water and a cement spill.

DEP also found that the site did not have secondary containment or sedimentation controls. Those controls are identified in the development as absent; no further details about the site or the response are stated here.

Why the site matters

Well plugging is part of the process of closing a conventional oil or gas well. The Indiana County site was being used for that work when DEP identified the conditions described above.

The issues involve both a spill and water contamination. They also involve the lack of two types of controls named by DEP: secondary containment and sedimentation controls.

What is known about the response

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is the agency identified in connection with the site conditions. The development does not state whether DEP issued an order, assessed a penalty, required cleanup, or set a deadline for corrective work.

It also does not identify the well, the operator, the location within Indiana County, the amount of cement involved, or the extent of the contaminated water. Those details are not included here.

What to watch

Further DEP action could clarify how the contaminated water and cement spill will be addressed. Additional agency records could also identify the site, the operator and any requirements for secondary containment or sedimentation controls.

For now, the documented conditions are contaminated water, a cement spill and the absence of the two named controls at a conventional well-plugging site in Indiana County.