Workers continue to assess 3rd well
No natural gas is being released from the Chevron gas well pad in Dunkard Township that exploded two weeks ago, killing one worker, though crews continue to run tests on the one well that had not been impacted by the explosion, a state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman said.
The well, designated 8H, is not leaking but is still being assessed by the company for possible damage, DEP spokesman John Poister said Thursday. The company will be testing it for the next few days and, as a precaution, will probably replace the well head, he said.
The two other wells on the pad that were affected by the explosion, 7H and 6H, were successfully capped earlier this week; work to cap 7H was completed Sunday and work to cap 6H was done Tuesday.
An explosion at the well pad Feb. 11 left one worker with minor injuries and another worker dead. The worker who died was later identified as Ian McKee, 27, a native of Warren, who was employed as a field representative for Cameron International.
The two wells on the pad impacted by the explosion burned until Feb. 15 when they extinguished themselves. The wells, however, continued to release gas until earlier this week when they were sealed by workers from Wild Well Control of Houston, Texas, a company that specialized in fighting well fires.
DEP has been monitoring air quality around the site and has found nothing that would indicate a danger, Poister said. He said he believed DEP emergency responders would be leaving the site Thursday.
Once Chevron completes all work at the pad, DEP will begin its investigation into the cause of the explosion, Poister said. The agency has had personnel at the site since the explosion, and has already collected much information though it is still too early to cite a cause, he said.