"Natural gas, drilling fluids spewing from Clearfield County well"

"Pennsylvania environmental officials say natural gas and polluted
drilling water are pouring from an out-of-control well in rural
Clearfield County.

Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Dan Spadoni said Friday that no one has been reported injured and the drilling water hasn't reached a waterway.


The Federal Aviation Administration issued a flight restriction in the immediate area shortly after 11 a.m.


Spadoni says the accident happened late Thursday night when unexpectedly high gas pressure in the newly drilled EOG Resources well prevented crews from containing it."


http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_6844...

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Follow-up: Turns out it wasn't EOG's first frac water "spill" on the Punxsutawney Hunting Club property.

"CCPDC confirms water contamination"
"... contamination occurred and was traced back to a particular well on the Punxsutawney Hunting Club property operated by EOG in late August. DEP found elevated parameters such as chloride and magnesium, and a second notice of violation was issued due to a spill of fracing fluids.
"The first violation was due to a leaky liner from a pit used to store drill cuttings. The company was required to put in two shallow wells up gradient and down gradient of the well in question to monitor water quality," wrote Brennan. "The contaminated springs are starting to return to normal, although contamination still exists.
"Mr. Ryder indicated that the department is monitoring the situation, in particular the drinking well used for a small hunting club that was impacted. Mr. Ryder reported that EOG has corrected the situation and has been more than cooperative by sampling 45 different sites in the vicinity of its operations. ..."

The Progress (Clearfield) - 2/23/10
http://www.theprogressnews.com/default.asp?read=21360
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I also checked DEP eFacts and there are 40+ permits issued to EOG for drilling on the property, but fewer actually started. I found four violations for "Discharge of IW to ground", one for "Stream discharge of IW, includes drill cuttings, oil, brine and/or silt", and one for an over-filled impound. The most common violation was not having signs identifying the individual wells.

So, considering there is a "history" I don't think I was out of line for the DEP to impose a "time-out".

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