Last night an equipment failure happened during
well-completion activities on the Yarasavage 1H northwest of Tunkhannock, PA.
The well, drilled into Marcellus shale well, is owned by Carrizo Oil & Gas.
An equipment failure led to release of completion fluids – at an initial rate
of 800 gal/minute. About 5,400 barrels were captured in tanks, and other fluid
running off the pad was captured by a catch basin set up near the road.
The waste fluid leak was only part of the problem; natural
gas also leaked from the well. So last night officials asked four families
living within 1500 feet of the well site to evacuate. Three more families voluntarily
evacuated to a local hotel.
By this afternoon well crews managed to cap the
malfunctioning well, and residents were allowed to return home. State Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP) crews told the press that they did a “sweep”
of a mile-and-a-half wide circle around the well to detect volatile organic
chemicals and/or methane in the air. They found none. They also reported that
they tested for radiation but didn’t find any.
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