Mud Spill at Drilling Site in Central PA Due to Human Error

There was a mud spillage at a drilling site on Friday, April 2nd in Pennsylvania. The site is located on state-owned land—the Sproul State Forest in north-central Pennsylvania. The drilling was being done by Anadarko. According to reports:

An estimated 8,000 to 12,000 gallons of mud used by Anadarko E&P Company Inc. for drilling operations overflowed at the well site due to human error, said Daniel Spandoni, spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection in Williamsport.

While about half of the mud spilled over the boundary of the well pad, it didn’t spread far enough to contaminate any surface waters, ground water or wetlands in the area, Spandoni said. A contractor began cleanup work Friday night. DEP officials have taken mud samples to determine a proper disposal method.

The mud is used as a cooling agent in drilling operations. Since the mud that spilled is synthetic-based, it doesn’t contain any diesel fluids as some other agents do, said Spandoni.*

*Hazelton Standard Speaker (Apr 2) – Mud spill at drilling site contained