On 07/25/2016, a private citizen notified the National Response Center (NRC) and reported several abandoned oil wells situated on their property which were discharging oil. NRC #1154396 was assigned to the incident. Upon receipt of the NRC #1154396, the OSC followed-up, contacted EPAR3 Duty Officer and discussed the incident report. Based upon locational information, the incident appears to be near the Johnston Farm OPA Site. EPAR3 Duty Officer offered to keep the case open in webEOC pending additional follow-up by the OSC as may be applicable. The OSC contacted the reporting party via telecoms and gathered additional information. Based upon the telecoms with the reporting party, the OSC surmised that [1] the well(s) and/or the abandoned on-shore facility was not acquired by the landowner(s) when the property was purchased, [2] the abandoned on-shore facility may have been referred to as the “Dana lease”, and [3] the abandoned on-shore facility may transcend land or surface ownership as adjoining landowners have abandoned wells on their properties as well. The OSC attained verbal permission to access the property to commence with a preliminary assessment.
The OSC commenced efforts to the extent practicable to identify potentially responsible party(ies) [“PRPs”]; identify and provide the Responsible Party(ies) [“RPs”] an opportunity to voluntarily and promptly perform removal actions; and/or in absence of a RP, conduct the removal actions necessary to mitigate the effects of a discharge and of the substantial threat of discharge of crude oil onto the adjoining shorelines of and into Harrisburg Run. Based upon readily available information, old lease maps, already in the OSC’s possession, the OSC confirmed the locations of old on-shore production facilities designated “Hooker Oil Company” and “Dana Oil Co.” south of the Johnston Farm OPA Site and off Harrisburg Run Road.
On 07/26/2016, the OSC passed NRC 1154396 to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) Emergency Response Program (ERP) for information and disposition, and tendered and offer of federal assistance as may be applicable. PADEP-ERP informed the OSC that they had responded to the incident, however, the reporting party was not home. With the lot (Warrant 2008, Lot 50) depicting the abandoned facility to encompass 22 acres, PADEP-ERP did not wander around. PADEP Oil & Gas Management Program (OGMP) would be following-up.
The OSC accessed CANAPS and obtained an initial project ceiling of $50,000 to continue to monitor the situation, implement defensive actions, conduct a preliminary assessment to ground-truth the sources (wells, tanks, separators, pits, piping, etc.) located on the abandoned on-shore production facility, continue PRP-search and identify RP. Upon review of PRP-search documentation, the OSC will serve Legal Notice to the PRP(s), and afford the RP an opportunity to voluntarily conduct a proper and timely removal action. In absence of RP, EPA FOSC to direct removal response activities to remove or arrange for the removal of a discharge, and mitigate or prevent a substantial threat of a discharge, including but not necessarily limited to plugging abandoned well(s) and other source(s) of discharge or substantial threats of discharge located on the abandoned on-shore production facility.
