Malfunction Leads to Spill of Over 200,000 Gallons of Fluid Waste From PA Fracking Operation

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From the Susquehanna Independent Weekender:
Three Wyoming County families near a malfunctioning natural gas well were evacuated Wednesday night and Thursday as thousands of gallons of fluid waste escaped from the well before crews could shut it down.
The Marcellus Shale well on Carrizo Oil and Gas’ Yarasavage pad off Keiserville Road began malfunctioning during a fracking operation at around 6 p.m. Wednesday, Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Colleen Connolly said.
The problem worsened overnight when natural gas was detected leaking from the well and the salty, chemically treated wastewater flowed out at a rate that peaked at around 800 gallons per minute before subsiding, according to the company and regulators.
Gas company and specialty well control crews regained control of the well by early Thursday and had it capped by the afternoon.
About 5,400 barrels, or 227,000 gallons, of the fluid was captured in tanks and trucked off site, Connolly said. Some of the fluid ran off the pad but crews built a temporary catch basin across the road to contain it, she said.
Four families within 1,500 feet of the well site were asked to evacuate on Wednesday night because officials were concerned that as the fluid in the well was released to the surface, gas would blow out behind it.
Read the whole article here. 

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