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

47-079-00739

This older well is on North Poca River Road between 47-079-00601 and 47-079-0735.

The well has several problems. There is no API number as required by state code and regulation and the plastic tank doesn't have the required secondary containment dike. Since the site is close to the river this is also a possible federal SPCC violation.

There were several maintenance issues. There was more industrial debris than we're used to seeing at a well site. Besides pipe and a 55 gallon steel drum, there was a large unused piece of equipment pushed into the tall grass. The road had deep ruts, possibly caused by a vac truck.

When we were at the site in late November the trap door for the tank had been left open and there was a sizable oil spill on the well access road. We believe the spill occurred during the transfer of fluid from the tank to the vac truck.

		The well site is just above River Road. It is well vegetated but the road shows a need for maintenance.
		A pipeline comes down the ridge, crosses the site and goes under the river.
		The wellhead shows an unusual configuration that we hadn't seen before. At first we thought this was a storage well but we've seen similar well configurations at other wells operated by this company.
		The site is on a bench above the road, close to the river. If one looks closely they can see the trapdoor is off and hanging on the other side.
		We've seen an extremely large tank at another site operated by this company and believe the cement piece served as a foundation for a similar, now gone, tank at this site. No secondary containment dike around tank as required.
		Where the oil had spilled on the road all vegetation had been killed. The odor was quite pungent.
		This 55 gallon steel drum was sitting near the tank.

We made a complaint to the state's Office of Oil and Gas at the first of the year and asked for notification when action had been taken. We've heard nothing to date (early March 2009).