A spill of nearly 500 gallons of mineral oil intended for a natural gas well caused the closing of sections of roads Thursday across Bradford, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties.
According to PennDOT’s Karen Dussinger, a one-mile section of state Route 1007 (Spring Hill Road) in Tuscarora Township, Bradford County, and a portion of state Route 3001 (Second Street) in Laceyville were closed to traffic after a spill of mineral oil occurred around noon down the middle of those sections of the roadway.
The road was closed through Thursday night and most of Friday from the intersection of Edinger Hill Road in Tuscarora Twp. along the length of Second Street in Laceyville, with traffic being detoured.
PennDOT also reported that the oil leaked from a truck in the area of the Champdale Farm gas well pad, destabilizing the roadway in the process.
Rory Sweeney, media relations coordinator for Chesapeake Energy, confirmed that the mineral oil was intended for use by Chesapeake for its well drilling operations.
“A preliminary estimate is that 10 barrels of material leaked intermittently onto the road for at least one mile,” Sweeney said in a press release. “In order to ensure a timely and thorough response, Chesapeake is providing assistance to the trucking contractor and has ensured that the appropriate agency notifications were completed.”
Chesapeake and PennDOT, along with other local emergency crews, had been working at cleaning up the spill and the Goodwill Fire Company assisted with traffic coordination.
Sweeney noted Thursday that “Cleanup crews are using absorbent materials to clean up the spill and equipment is being mobilized to begin repair of the road where necessary as mineral oil can be absorbed by asphalt pavement and weaken it.”
Laceyville Mayor Ken Patton said then that American Asphalt would be working through the night grinding the blacktop and repairing the road surface.
Dussinger noted that the shoulder of SR3005, in Auburn Township, Susquehanna County was also impacted by the mineral oil spill.
Be the first to comment on "Gas well mineral oil spill alarms"