Natural Gas Wells | Elizabeth Township

NATURAL GAS WELL INFORMATION

Residents who have complaints regarding the Olympus well pads, may follow a standard resident complaint procedure and submit a standard complaint form. Olympus Energy has provided these documents to the township. Olympus Energy has established a 24/7 phone number (412-357-4100) and email address (questions@olympusenergy.com) for receiving and responding to resident inquiries and complaints. We encourage residents to contact Olympus Energy through these channels in order to file a complaint or inquiry with Olympus Energy.

Please fill out the below form if you have a complaint regarding the natural gas well drilling at approved Elizabeth Township sites. This form is NOT to be used to report an emergency or an event that needs immediate attention. This form is only to be used for complaints about the Olympus well pads, complaints unrelated to the Olympus well pads will not be addressed. Please make complaints as detailed as possible so we can efficiently address them.

LEGACY OIL AND GAS WELLS

Since 1859 it is estimated that approximately 300,000 to 760,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled across Pennsylvania. Permitting requirements were not implemented until the mid-1900s, which means there are likely hundreds of thousands of wells that were never reported located across the oil and gas producing regions of the commonwealth.

Abandoned wells can be hazardous to people and cause pollution of soil and water. Old wells can be a safety hazard simply because the associated aging infrastructure may cause bodily harm, or they can deteriorate into large holes in the ground. Methane (the primary component of natural gas) leaking from wells is also a hazard and can create explosive environments inside of buildings.

Sometimes wells identified by a landowner are equipped with a well head and other equipment, such as piping and tanks; many times, the well is so old that the equipment is no longer present, or someone may have intentionally buried the top of the well pipe below ground surface.

Things to look for include:

• A vertical rusty metal pipe sticking out of the ground

• Pooled oil accumulation

• An area of grass or other vegetation that is always dead or distressed

• Petroleum odors

• A depression or open hole in the ground where the pipe has disappeared or been removed

• Natural gas bubbling or petroleum odors in water supplied by a well or petroleum odors associated with the water well itself

Finding a well on your property or uncovering a buried well does not make you responsible for the well, however, attempts to produce the well, receive economic benefit, improperly rid your property get rid of any evidence of the well, or other careless activities can make you financially responsible for the well. For your safety, it is important that a DEP oil and gas representative evaluate the well and attempt to determine if a responsible company or individual exists. If a responsible party exists, they will legally be required to properly decommission the well or bring it into compliance through some other action.

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