Former DEP official says it's "nearly impossible" to identify all unregistered natural gas wells
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — State and local officials are investigating how the Crescent Township house explosion happened on Tuesday.
"We're really going to have to be patient with the DEP's investigation of this situation," said David Hess, former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
That said, early indications are that the blast that killed the two people living in the home was possibly caused by an unregistered natural gas well nearby, and there are a lot of unregistered gas wells in Pennsylvania.
"Somewhere around 350,000 conventional oil and gas wells were drilled in Pennsylvania," Hess said. "That started in 1859, and nobody was registering wells. ... We really didn't have any regulations until the '60s."
Hess said that it's going to be "nearly impossible to really identify all of them."
But if you have been using one or suspect there are unregistered gas wells on your property, the first thing you should do is let someone know.
"If you know there are wells there, the right thing to do is to register and report those wells to DEP," Hess said.
If you use an unregistered gas well for your home, the DEP suggests you monitor it for corrosion, erosion, leaks and replace any necessary equipment.
There are a number of gas well service companies in the area that can help you out.
Finally, one of the best things everyone in the area should consider, whether you live near a gas well or live on top of an abandoned close coal mine, is a methane detector. They're not expensive and can save your life.
