This is a report on our examination of a number of gas wells in Putnam and Kanawha counties all operated by the same company.

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

The road for 47-079-1178

The road to this well shows the range of maintenance problems and issues that the Company's well access roads have: poor drainage, serious rutting, lack of maintenance, and bad design.

This was the most complex road we saw constructed by the Company and parts of it are a marvel. On the whole though, either because of bad design or poor maintenance, the road is seriously deteriorating. Repairs will be costly.

Road issues like these don't just effect the Company and the safety of its employees and contractors. They also affect the surface owner on whose property the well lies. A road like this is a slap in the face to someone who has already had to put up with the Company's "taking".

		Most of these photos were taken looking east while walking up hill from the well. There is a cut slope on the right hand (south) and fill slope on the left hand. The narrowest point in the road is about 16 feet -- between a rock wall and a tree. In this photo the ditch to the right isn't working properly. The road should have gravel surfacing. It is deeply rutted.
		There are two special fill slope drains. One looks like it is working properly. This one is not. The flexible culvert has broken off the steel culvert that comes from under the road. Water now falls on a level spot. Eventually the fill slope will give way, undermining the road. We've been told that the culvert has been like this for years.
		A cut log and rocks fallen from the hillside blocking a ditch.
		The tall fescue seems to clog the ditch. The ditches need to be cleaned and reshaped and, if major road work is considered, there need to be more culverts installed.
		The ruts on this road are very deep in spots. There is no provision for getting water off the road surface by insloping.
		A lot of water goes down the hillside at this point and the cut slope has slipped, narrowing the width of the road to just allow a vehicle to not fall off. Poor ditches, poor drainage -- a muddy, dangerous mess.
		The road is so narrow at this point because of the slip that vehicles have to use the ditch as road bed.
		Looking back, the slip is plainly obvious on the right. Water should not be allowed to sit on the road bed. If it is, like here, that is a sign of poor design.
		Looking uphill again. On the cut slope side, because of rocks, it is impossible to have a ditch. Instead, water is allowed to course down the road itself, creating problems like we've seen in the previous photographs.
		At one point, on the fill slope, a stone wall retaining structure was built. Something like this is what needs to be done where a slip is eroding the road.
		Looking downhill, the stone wall retaining structure is in the center of the photo. The structure is created with stone held by wire fencing.

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