Location: Bradford County, Pennsylvania

Penn E&R assisted with the emergency weekend remediation, environmental sampling, and Act 2 reporting following the release of approximately 100 gallons of diesel fuel as a result of a punctured diesel fuel saddle tank on a water transport truck. The release occurred along the shoulder of a gravel road, with only a 20-foot buffer of soil separating the release from a creek adjacent to the road.

In addition to the estimated 2.47 inches of precipitation which occurred during the 3 days of remedial activities, increased truck traffic due to on-going stimulation activities at a nearby natural gas well pad necessitated quick decision-making and an expedited response to prevent impacts from migrating to the adjacent creek and to quickly re-open both travel lanes to permit the uninterrupted flow of sand and water transport trucks.

The remediation involved delineation using a photoionization detector, removal of approximately 90 tons of impacted soil, post-excavation sample collection, and the immediate backfill and regrading of the road. Penn E&R’s role also included the subsequent Act 2 reporting and coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

As a direct result of Penn E&R’s emergency response efforts, the client was able to cost-effectively attain the Statewide Health remediation standard without the need for surface water monitoring/sampling, and while simultaneously avoiding costly delays related to lane closures and impacts to on-going stimulation activities at the nearby natural gas well pad.