Federal removal response activities commence with efforts to mitigate the effects of a discharge of crude oil from an abandoned oil well (on-shore production facility) and to eliminate the substantial threat of additional discharges of crude oil from entering into the navigable waters of the united states, Tunungwant Creek (a tributary to the Allegheny River) or its adjoining shorelines.
On Saturday, April 30, 2016, while investigating gas odors at the premises at 419/421 East Main Street, Bradford, McKean Co., PA, the landowner unearthed an abandoned, leaking well in the backyard which extends to the backyard of 128/130 Euclid Avenue. The landowner and another private citizen used a small excavator to excavate a containment pit around the well. Production fluids (produced water and crude oil) leaking from the well filled the pit. The landowner contacted the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP).
On Monday, May 2, 2016, PADEP responded, assessed the situation, and informed the landowner that PADEP unfortunately had no funding to initiate an emergency contract to cleanout/plug the well.
On Tuesday, May 3, 2016, the landowner reported the incident to the National Response Center (“NRC”). NRC #1146806 was assigned to the case. In follow-up to receipt of NRC #1146806, EPAR3 Duty Officer, OSC Rich Rupert, notified OSC Vincent Zenone, the lead OSC for the NW PA sub-area of the EPAR3 Inland Area Contingency Plan. Via telecoms, OSC Zenone discussed the incident with the reporting party, who was also the person who owned the surface upon which the abandoned well was located. OSC Zenone attained verbal consent from the landowner to access the property, assess the source, evaluate the substantial threat of discharge to the navigable waters of the U.S. (Tunungwant Creek), initiate defensive actions and arrange for a timely federal removal action as may be applicable.
On Wednesday, May 4, 2016, the OSC conducted an on-site removal evaluation. Visual observations of the abandoned leaking oil well indicate that the oil production facility may have been abandoned sometime around the turn of the 20th century (early to mid-1900's). This coincides with information provided by local citizens who do not recollect oil production equipment at the location for the past 60 to 80 years. The abandonment of the facility also predates records maintained by PADEP. The well appears to be located in the backyard 419/421 East Main Street, extending into the backyard of 128/130 Euclid Avenue. The landowner and local citizens had discovered the location of the well which had been buried below grade for an undetermined period of time. The landowner hired a small excavator to excavate a containment pit around the well over the weekend. The production fluids (produced water and crude oil) in the pit around the wellhead had subsided over the weekend. Based upon evidence of an old tile drain in the excavated area around the well, the OSC speculated that the contents of the pit had entered into the nearby storm sewer system. The OSC determined the pathway from the source (abandoned, leaking well) is pretty much subsurface along an oil tile drainage pathway and/or overland to the storm sewer beneath Euclid Avenue; the storm sewer continues beneath North Kendall Avenue to the storm sewer's outfall at Tunungwant Creek. The OSC walked the pathway along to storm sewer to Tunungwant Creek, and observed a discharge of oil at the storm sewer outfall into Tunungwant Creek. The OSC deployed a sorbent boom at the outfall to mitigate the discharge of oil into the navigable waters of the United States.
Upon completion of the on-site removal evaluation, OSC Zenone accessed the OSLTF via CANAPS and obtained an initial project ceiling of $50,000 was obligated and FPN E16314 was assigned to the case.
