DEP fines Carrizo $190K for Wyoming County spills

• Katie Colaneri
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  Katie Colaneri is a reporter for StateImpact Pennsylvania and WHYY in Philadelphia covering energy and the environment. Before joining StateImpact, Katie worked as an investigative and enterprise reporter at WBGO in Newark, New Jersey. She covered some of New Jersey's biggest stories including the devastation and aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, as well as the day-to-day triumphs and struggles to revitalize state's largest city. A native of New Jersey with roots in South Central Pennsylvania, Katie holds a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College.

Houston-based Carrizo Oil and Gas has agreed to pay a fine of $192,044 for two spill incidents in Wyoming County last spring, the state Department of Environmental Protection said.
In March 2013, three families were evacuated from their homes in Washington Township after a well began spewing fluid during a hydraulic fracturing operation. More than 200,000 gallons flowed out of the well before it was successfully capped the following day.
The following month, the company reported spilling about 9,240 gallons of fluid on another well pad in Washington Township when a hose moving the liquid from a truck to a tank slipped out.
The fluid – a mixture of produced water that flows back up to the surface after fracking, as well as clay and fresh water – seeped through the foundation of a nearby home and traveled into a pasture for livestock, the DEP said.

“The department has been working closely with Carrizo during the past year to ensure the company implements changes that will greatly minimize a recurrence of these incidents,” said DEP Director of District Oil and Gas Operations John Ryder in a press release.
A spokesperson for Carrizo did not respond to requests for comment.

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