EQT fined for causing 4 million gallons of mine water to flow into the Mon River

“According to the DEP, EQT knew and told the department that there were likely abandoned mines in the area. It said it didn’t know if the mine pools were flooded and didn’t do a geophysical investigation to find out.

“There were signs that abandoned mine drainage — metal-laden water — was present. The DEP noted that ‘seeps of orange water’ were noticed near the horizontal directional drilling operation in January 2017 before EQT started drilling there.

“Months later, EQT told regulators that aerial photographs from 2013 showed the presence of mineral stained water in the area.

“According to DEP inspection reports, orange water continued to flow into the Monongahela River for months. The DEP said all violations were corrected by August 2017.”

FULL STORY published November 14, 2018 via Pittsburgh  Post-Gazette