Trouble in Truth Land
DEPUE #8H

• Introduction

• An in-depth look at Depue 8H

• More trouble in truth land

• An in-depth look at more trouble in truth land

• Pennsylvania Bulletin

• DEP Permits for the Depue wells

• Depue 8H Documents

• Depue Natural Gas Compressor Station coming soon?

Research has revealed that there is trouble in truth land. One of the Depue wells (8H) is severely flawed with a bubbling annulus. An annulus is the cemented layer between layers of steel, you know, the one that 'never leaks' and can survive cannon-type explosions as seen toward the end of the "Truthland" movie. Two more of the Depue wells (2H and 6H) have Pennsylvania DEP violations, which are shown below. Needless to say, it's not going nearly as well as all the "experts" interviewed in the Truthland movie led Shelly to believe it would!

At one of the Pennsylvania movie screenings this past week, Ms. Depue stated she had not seen the Pennsylvania DEP File Review documents for Depue 8H. At least now she can find them here, since they are shown below, for everyone's reference. Isn't it odd that Pennsylvania landowners can be 'kept in the dark' when important things like this are happening on their property, that could affect their health and well-being. Violations like "Failure to properly control or dispose of industrial or residual waste to prevent pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth" doesn't sound good for anyone living in Pennsylvania.

An in-depth look at Depue 8H

Depue 8H is located at 41.924375 -75.8729 in Franklin Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. The well (DEP permit number 115-20461) was SPUD on November 18, 2010 by Williams Production Appalachia. Williams subsequently spun off Williams Production Appalachia to become WPX Energy, which the Pennsylvania DEP currently lists as the operator of Depue 8H. The DEP cited WPX on July 28, 2010 for failing to file production reports.

Depue 8H has been the subject of multiple DEP violation notices. On February 15, 2011, violation ID 604972 (Inspection ID 1950415) is described in the DEP eFACTS database as "Failure to report defective, insufficient, or improperly cemented casing w/in 24 hrs or submit plan to correct w/in 30 days".

The actual inspection report notes "Failure to properly cement intermediate casing." (Inspection reports are not currently on-line but are available to the public through the DEP 'File Review' and 'Right To Know' processes.)

Pennsylvania DEP Inspection ID 1950415

More than a year later on March 20, 2012, it appears the problem was not fixed. In Inspection Report 2053535, DEP inspector Stephen Watson reports: "Well is online. Observed bubbling on 9" x 13" annulus. Can see bubbling at surface. Bubbling is consistent and visible on all sides of casing."

Pennsylvania DEP Inspection Report 2053535
(As of July 22, 2012 this inspection report is still marked
in the eFACTS site record for Depue 8H as "pending")

"Well is online. Observed bubbling on 9" x 13" annulus. Can see bubbling at surface. Bubbling is consistent and visible on all sides of casing."

More trouble in truth land

Faulty well casings have frequently been suspected as a cause of methane migration but these are not the only issues with Depue 8H. DEP Inspection 1954842 on March 4, 2011 notes two violations: Violation ID 605918, "Failure to notify DEP of pollution incident. No phone call made forthwith" and Violation ID 605919, "Failure to properly control or dispose of industrial or residual waste to prevent pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth."

It should not be surprising that a well with such problems has attracted controversy. Neighbors of the Depues, the Manning family, have sued WPX over contamination of their water:

This case is known as Manning et al v. WPX Energy Appalachia, LLC et al, docket number 3:12-cv-00646. Defenders of the gas industry are quick to point out that ostensibly DEP tests of the Mannings' water show the methane contamination as biogenic, meaning that it has to have come from near the surface and can't be thermogenic gas from the deep Marcellus Shale layer. The biogenic / thermogenic distinction for methane migration is certainly diagnostic in the thermogenic case; thermogenic methane cannot have come from close to the surface via some form of "endemic" pre-Marcellus methane migration problem. Less clear is whether the immense pressure of hydraulic fracturing can trigger biogenic methane migration in the case of faulty well construction.

An in-depth look at more trouble in truth land:
DEPUE 2H & 6H
 

Source: NEPA Gas Action

Direct link to webpage violations list

DEPUE 2H  View in Google Maps

2011-03-11 - Franklin Township, DEPUE 2H: Failure to minimize accelerated erosion, implement E&S plan, maintain E&S controls. Failure to stabilize site until total site restoration under OGA Sec 206(c)(d). Violation ID 607151, ALTA OPR CO LLC.
 

2011-03-11 - Franklin Township, DEPUE 2H: Clean Streams Law-General. Used only when a specific CLS code cannot be used. Violation ID 607152, ALTA OPR CO LLC.
 

DEPUE 6H  View in Google Maps

2011-03-11 - Franklin Township, DEPUE 6H: Pit and tanks not constructed with sufficient capacity to contain pollutional substances. Violation ID 606658, WILLIAMS PRODUCTION APPALACHIA LLC.

DEPUE 8H  View in Google Maps

2011-03-04 - Franklin Township, DEPUE 8H: Failure to properly control or dispose of industrial or residual waste to prevent pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth. Violation ID 605919, WILLIAMS PRODUCTION APPALACHIA LLC.

2011-03-04 - Franklin Township, DEPUE 8H: Failure to notify DEP of pollution incident. No phone call made forthwith. Violation ID 605918, WILLIAMS PRODUCTION APPALACHIA LLC.

2011-02-15 - Franklin Township, DEPUE 8H: Failure to report defective, insufficient, or improperly cemented casing within 24 hrs or submit plan to correct within 30 days. Violation ID 604972, WILLIAMS PRODUCTION APPALACHIA LLC.
 

Violation ID	Date	Violation Description
605918	03/04/2011	Failure to notify DEP of pollution incident. No phone call made forthwith
		Resolution:
		PA Code Legal Citation: 25 Pa. Code 91.33(a) : PA Code Website
		Violation Type: Administrative
		Enforcement Type: No Enforcement Data
605919	03/04/2011	Failure to properly control or dispose of industrial or residual waste to prevent pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth.
		Resolution:
		PA Code Legal Citation: 25 Pa. Code 78.54 : PA Code Website
		Violation Type: Environmental Health & Safety
		Enforcement Type: No Enforcement Data
604972	02/15/2011	Failure to report defective, insufficient, or improperly cemented casing w/in 24 hrs or submit plan to correct w/in 30 days
		Resolution:
		PA Code Legal Citation: 25 Pa. Code 78.86 : PA Code Website
		Violation Type: Administrative
		Enforcement Type: No Enforcement Data

PENNSYLVANIA BULLETIN
 

August 27, 2011 Pa. Bulletin - Water for fracking Depue 2H
  "Consumptive use of up to 4 mgd (million gallons day)"

NOTICES
SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN COMMISSION
Projects Approved for Consumptive Uses of Water

[40 Pa.B. 6496]
[Saturday, November 6, 2010]

Williams Production Appalachia, LLC, Pad ID: Depue Well No. 2H, ABR-201009098, Franklin Township, Susquehanna County, PA; Consumptive Use of up to 4.000 mgd; Approval Date: September 27, 2010.
 

August 27, 2011 Pa. Bulletin - Blasting permits actions

Actions on applications under the Explosives Acts of 1937 and 1957 and 25 Pa. Code § 211.124. Blasting activity performed as part of a coal or noncoal mining activity will be regulated by the mining permit for that coal or noncoal mining activity.

Blasting Permits Actions

58114128. Dyno-Nobel, Inc., (1320 Galiffa Drive, Donora, PA 15033), construction blasting for Williams Gas Depue Interconnect in Franklin Township, Susquehanna County with an expiration date of October 31, 2011. Permit issued: August 10, 2011.
 

July 21, 2012 Pa. Bulletin - Air quality

Northeast Region: Air Quality Program, 2 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711-0790 Contact: Ray Kempa, New Source Review Chief—Telephone: 570-826-2507

58-399-041GP5: WPX Energy Appalachia LLC (6000 Town Center Boulevard, Suite 300, Canonsburg, PA 15317-5834) on June 29, 2012, to construct and operate one (1) IC Engine and one (1) dehy/reboiler at their Depue Natural Gas Compressor Station site in Franklin Township, Susquehanna County.
 

DEP Permits for the Depue wells
(As of July 22, 2012)

WPX ENERGY APPALACHIA, LLC

DEPUE 1H OG Well  115-20501  Permit issued 2-16-11

DEPUE 2H OG Well  115-20418  Permit issued 7-27-10

DEPUE 3H OG Well  115-20502  Permit issued 2-16-11

DEPUE 4H OG Well  115-20459  Permit issued 11-9-10

DEPUE 5H OG Well  115-20503  Permit issued 3-29-11

DEPUE 6H OG Well  115-20460  Permit issued 11-9-10
      "Proposed But Never Materialized"
(No DEPUE 6H permit is currently listed on the DEP website?)

DEPUE 7H OG Well  115-20504  Permit issued 2-16-11

DEPUE 8H OG Well  115-20461  Permit issued 11-9-10

DEPUE 9H OG Well  115-20505  Permit issued 2-16-11

DEPUE 10H OG Well  115-20462  Permit issued 11-9-10
 

DEPUE 8H DOCUMENTS
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Water Well Being Vented By WPX Gas Co.
Range Resources cement and casings violations in Marcellus Shale
Truthland movie screening in Harrisburg PCN
 

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