This is a report on our examination of a number of gas wells in Putnam and Kanawha counties. The wells in this section were viewed in 2008 and 2009 and are operated by several different companies.

The Home Page for the Study

The Home Page for the 2011 Study

Four Wells in the Kanawha State Forest

Three Wells with Surface Contamination

Three Well with Inadequate Secondary Containment

A Vertical Marcellus Well

Condensate Tank Overflow

The Home Page for the 2010 Study

The Home Page for the 2009 Study

Putnam County
Poca River Road
583
731
1492
595
615
743
775
746
739

Spanish Oak Road
232
Putnam B-85

Long Road
298

Kanawha County
Dry Branch
5999
1266

Harmon's Creek
2026
5714

Environmental Assessment
Putnam County
1492 & 731

Kanawha County
2026
5714

The Home Page for the 2008 Study

Putnam County
Long Road Group
1288
1215
1178
1299
702
No API #1
No API #2
No API #3
1155
No API #4
No API #5

River Road Group
735
601
570

King Cemetery Group
1200
274
404

Kanawha County
2026
5714

47-039-05999

This recently drilled wellsite is on a ridge above Dry Branch, west of Kelly's Creek Road.

The well access road has a gate at the entrance and is graveled for a short distance. As it climbed the steep hillside, the road grew progressively more rutted and had little vegetation. Sediment traps for culverts were completely filled, so water used the road as a channel.

The pad was sparsely vegetated with large bare areas. The orange plastic fencing for the pit lay to the east, on a log pile. Exposed pit liner was seen west of the well head.

There was no API number as is required, but the condensate storage tank had a proper secondary containment dike. A site of a spill was noticed between the wellhead and the tank. We believe that condensate was spilled during transfer from the tank to a vac truck.

		This is a view of the production equipment looking south. The secondary containment dike surrounds the storage tank, separator and other equipment.
		This is a view of the pad, looking south. The wellhead is offset to the east, but is centered from north and south.
		The orange plastic fencing used to surround the pit was left on top of a log and brush pile to the east.
		This large portion of exposed pit liner was visible to the west of the wellhead. To the south of this spot was a large area bare of vegetation.
		This is the large area bare of vegetation south of the exposed portion of pit liner. Other bare areas were seen on the opposite side of the wellhead.
		This operator installs a ground cable for their condensate storage tanks. If lightening hit a tank that wasn't properly grounded, volatile gases in the headspace would explode, destroying the tank and creating a large spill. Grounding of tanks is not required in West Virginia, but should be.
		The well access road climbed a steep slope and was severely rutted. Some of the ruts were quite deep, much deeper than the 2 to 4 inch criteria we use as a signifier of a problem.
		Another view of the severely rutted road. Climbing this slope in winter must be difficult. A major cause of road degradation in this case is due to water using the road as its course, rather than being directed away.
		This is one of the filled sediment traps. The culvert is entirely buried. Water is not flowing in the ditches, which don't drain properly, but on the road itself.
		In one instance we saw an unplugged culvert. This was toward the bottom of the slope.
		The reason the culvert was clear was because water didn't enter the sediment trap. Instead, it appeared that stones had been placed to direct the water flow across the road. The water channel cutting diagonally across the road's surface is evident in this photograph. The culvert's sediment trap is just beyond the stones to the left.