August 11, 2010- The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is pursuing legal action against a drilling company following a spill of 1,000 gallons of crude oil from a gas-well leak in Gates Mills on June 19.
Rick Simmers, of ODNR, said Tuesday the spill was preventable. He said the agency has made recommendations to its in-house counsel and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to pursue a civil or criminal lawsuit or a consent agreement through common pleas court.
The drilling company is owned by Pursie E. Pipes, of Canton. The gas-well system was not maintained and operated properly, Mr. Simmers said. The containment system failed, he said. The well is located at 1959 SOM Center Road (Route 91) near Dorchester Road on property owned by the Giordano family.
Mr. Simmers said he is awaiting final approval for the type of legal action ODNR will take, which could come by next week. It will be necessary to create rules for a specific implementation of a spill-prevention program, he said. A time line for that has not been set, he said.
Currently, ODNR has 25 drilling-site inspectors, with eight more being hired and eight more to be hired in the future, Mr. Simmers said.
A valve on an oil tank had broken, according to Gates Mills Fire Chief Thomas Robinson, allowing crude oil to spill into the well’s dike system, which also failed. The crude oil leaked around the well area and into the storm-sewer system and creeks and streams, he said.
Mr. Robinson said he was concerned about the valve that failed, as there are numerous gas wells in Gates Mills that use the same valve. He has asked ODNR for a complete report of its findings and received a report. He said a system for tracking malfunctions at drilling sites could be a very helpful resource to drilling operators, safety forces and municipalities, among others. In that way, if there’s a problem or failure that appears to happen often, it can be addressed, he said.
There are over 54 active gas and oil wells in Gates Mills.
The company was given a citation for unauthorized release of pollutants into a stream, a violation of the Ohio Revised Code, said Reggie Brown, of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Pursie E. Pipes, which has been cooperating fully, is responsible for the cost of the cleanup, he said. The company had to remove all contaminated soils and completely restore the containment system for the oil and the dike system, he said. But beyond that, the EPA is not pursuing any other penalties.
In Pepper Pike, about 250 to 500 gallons leaked into storm sewers and creeks after a similar incident in May at a gas well behind the Cleveland Racquet Club. That well is owned by Duck Creek Energy, of Brecksville.
Original source: http://chagrinvalleytimes.com/NC/0/2218.html
