A Bradford company wants to drill an injection well in the Allegheny National Forest in Lafayette Township –– and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has scheduled a meeting on the project for next month.
The EPA, Mid-Atlantic Region announced May 7 the issuance of a draft permit to Sliverville Oil Co. LLC that authorizes the conversion and operation of an underground injection control well on a parcel dubbed the Evans lot.
Sliverville is looking to drill a shallow well at a location that is not new to drilling, Lafayette Township Supervisor John Knox said. The project would involve the injection of produced fluid to enhance recovery of oil.
“I’m not aware of anything that would concern me at this point,” he said.
Meanwhile, the EPA has tentatively scheduled a public hearing June 13 starting at 7 p.m. at the Lafayette Township municipal building at 7524 Route 59. Requests to hold the public hearing must be received by May 30.
The meeting might not happen, though, Knox said, adding it depends on response from the recently published public notice.
“When requesting a public hearing, please state the nature of issues you propose to raise,” the EPA stated on its website. “EPA expressly reserves the right not to hold a hearing unless a significant degree of public interest is evidenced specific on the proposed injection operation.”
Knox said he doesn’t have many thoughts on the proposed work, saying the project would not be big.
“Enhanced recovery is a process whereby fluid is injected into a geologic formation to help produce additional oil within the formation that was not produced during the original, primary oil production process,” the EPA said.
The draft permit establishes a maximum daily injection volume of 500 barrels per day. One barrel of fluid is equal to 42 gallons.
On Jan. 24, Sliverville submitted a permit application for the conversion of one active oil production well.
“Currently DEP does not have an application for a UIC well in Lafayette Twp; DEP shares authority over UIC wells with the EPA, and their permit is first in the process,” said Neil Shader, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Sliverville also put in place three wells to monitor fluid levels in the surrounding area of the injection well.
“The permittee will be responsible for continuously monitoring the injection well for surface injection pressure, flow rate and cumulative volume beginning on the date which the injection well commences operation and concluding when the injection well is plugged and abandoned,” the EPA reports.
The company is listed as being at 42 Parkway Lane, Bradford, the same address as Pecora Enterprises Inc. Attempts to reach someone at Pecora Enterprises proved unsuccessful Friday.
For more information about the project, contact Kevin Rowsey, Ground Water & Enforcement Branch (3WP22), Office of Drinking Water &, Source Water Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-2029; 215-814-5463 or rowsey.kevin@epa.gov.
