Dec 19, 2014 2 min read

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Range Resources, one of the major companies that drills for natural gas in Southwestern Pennsylvania, is lesser known for its Marcellus Shale impoundments. The pits, some as large as football fields, are used to store fresh water or, more often, waste water that has been used in the hydraulic fracturing process.

And as the state Department of Environmental Protection found, many of those impoundments were rife with problems. On Sept. 18, the DEP ordered Range to pay $4.15 million in fines as part of a consent agreement for numerous leaks, spills and other issues associated with several of the company’s impoundments in Washington County.

It was the largest crackdown on a drilling company in recent Pennsylvania history. The DEP also ordered Range to shut down five impoundments and upgrade two others, while converting another impoundment back to a fresh water impoundment. A file review performed by Observer-Reporter staff at DEP’s office in Pittsburgh revealed that all of Range’s centralized impoundments in Washington County experienced problems since they were put into operation.

Some, like the Jon Day impoundment and most recently the Carter impoundment, have been the subject of lawsuits by residents who live next to the structures. Shortly after Range agreed to the consent order, the company announced new standards for constructing and operating impoundments.