Oil in the Walls, Booms in the Drains: DEP Says Eureka’s Cleanup Fails to Contain the Damage from Fracking Waste

Two Weeks On, Waste Still on the Floor: DEP Tightens Grip on Eureka After Susquehanna Spill

Sep 02, 2025

Oil seeping out of the exterior wall at Eureka Resources in Williamsport, PA

The Latest On The Eureka Spill in Williamsport

On September 2, 2025, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) contacted Public Herald with the following update that includes new fines for Eureka Resources:

DEP has continued its investigation following the spill from an aboveground storage tank at Eureka Resources’ 2nd Street Williamsport facility on August 17, 2025. DEP has continued to perform additional inspections; these reports are attached.
As previously stated, DEP is working with the agencies and entities involved with this case to explore all options and resources for carrying out cleanup efforts, which will continue as long as necessary. For clean-up actions addressed by the City and county authorities, it is at their discretion whether to seek cost recovery from the responsible party.
Eureka Resources has incurred penalties from DEP for multiple facilities through multiple programs.
Under DEP’s Waste Management Program:
· For the Standing Stone facility, Eureka previously paid $6,000 in stipulated civil penalties, and paid $6,000 today (September 2, 2025) toward $6,100 in stipulated penalties for the January 2025 Consent Order and Agreement (COA).
· For the Catawissa Avenue Williamsport (aka Reach Road) facility, DEP issued an Assessment of Civil Penalty (ACP) for $5,500, which is due August 31.
· For the Second Street Williamsport facility, the Administrative Order (previously provided) is currently the only active enforcement action.
Under DEP’s Air Quality Program:
· ACPs of $1,000 each were issued to both the Standing Stone and Second Street Williamsport facilities on April 5, 2024. Both were paid.
· ACPs of $2,000 each were issued to both the Standing Stone and Second Street Williamsport facilities on May 7, 2025. These have not yet been paid.
Although civil penalties were not included in the DEP’s January 2025 Consent Order and Agreement, this is an ongoing investigation, and DEP cannot comment on potential future enforcement.
In response to DEP’s August 19 Administrative Order (previously provided), Eureka Resources timely submitted a written report and corrective action plan to DEP on Monday, August 25, 2025. The plan and schedule addresses the clean-up and removal of oil and gas liquid waste at the Second Street property, as well as removal of residual waste from all three Eureka facilities.
Also attached is an Administrative Order (with cover letter) for the Eureka Standing Stone facility, issued today.

Since August 17, 2025, when a sampling port on Tank N3 failed at Eureka Resources’ 2nd Street facility in Williamsport, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been on site daily, documenting a slow, sprawling cleanup of thousands of gallons of radioactive fracking wastewater.

Aug. 22 inspection: DEP confirms a permanent plug was installed on N3; ~5,400 gallons pumped into RT tanks; 6,000 gallons recovered inside the building. Oil covered the NOMAD room, adjacent offices, and treatment areas. A 250-gallon tote was filled from floor collection.
Aug. 25 inspection: After heavy storms, oil migrated through the loading dock and southern foundation wall. Oil & water mixture was found in the PT-2 tank trench. DEP observed staining, ongoing leaks, and recommended absorbents. No Eureka staff were present during this inspection.
Aug. 26 inspection: Cleanup crews using shop vacs in offices; oil dry spread across the NOMAD room. 6,000 gallons recovered to date, with more still on the floor. Storm drains showed absorbent booms; rainfall added stress but drains were not ponded.
Aug. 27 inspection: Recovery estimates rose to 8,000 gallons inside the building; 7,200–8,000 gallons pumped to RT tanks. Trenches cleared, frac tanks staged with oil/water mix. Oil still seeping at the loading dock where the spill exited.
Aug. 28 inspection: DEP notes cleanup “about as much as possible” from N1-9 containment; still 8,000 gallons recovered inside; storm drain socks saturated and needing replacement. Oil stains remain on the south wall. City fire and codes officials joined DEP onsite.

River inspection

From DEP’s inspection records: Booms on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.

On Aug. 25, DEP’s water quality team checked the West Branch Susquehanna River at the Hepburn Street Flood Station. No oily sheen was visible at the outfall; a slight sheen upstream was attributed to organic matter. Cleanup contractor Eagle Towing was replacing booms.

DEP has not provided answers to Public Herald’s questions about whether testing has been performed for all fracking contaminants, including radioactivity using gamma spectroscopy, both at the site of the spill and from the tank that spilled.

New Administrative Order: Standing Stone site in Bradford County

On Sept. 2, 2025, DEP issued a new Administrative Order (documents provided at end of article) against Eureka’s Standing Stone facility (Bradford County):

DEP found 923,178 gallons of oil and gas liquid waste stored since April 2024 — without approval and beyond the one-year limit.
Eureka’s conduct legally reclassified the site as a residual waste disposal facility without a permit, violating the Solid Waste Management Act. DEP labeled it unlawful conduct and a statutory nuisance.
The order requires Eureka to remove all waste within 90 days and submit manifests within 100 days proving proper disposal or recycling. Transfer of the site must be reported to DEP at least 10 days in advance.
DEP’s cover letter delivered the order directly to Eureka executives and its board.

The earlier Williamsport Administrative order

DEP required Eureka’s 2nd Street site to remove all oil and gas waste within 30 days and repair alarms on all tanks — alarms found to be disconnected or inoperable across most of 70 tanks holding 1.38 million gallons.
The release had reached storm drains flowing to the West Branch Susquehanna River. DEP cited the Solid Waste Management Act and Clean Streams Law, calling the conduct a statutory nuisance.

A pattern of recklessness across sites

Catawissa Ave. (Reach Road) Williamsport site (July 9, 2025): DEP had already fined and ordered Eureka for over-storage.
2nd Street site (Aug. 17–28, 2025): 16,000 gallons spilled; alarms disabled; over 1.38M gallons stored.
Standing Stone site (Sept. 2, 2025): 923,178 gallons stored unlawfully for more than a year.

Three sites have the same operator stockpiling violations of radioactive waste past limits, silencing alarms, and failing to prevent spills.

Public Herald’s investigations have shown that Pennsylvania’s regulators are prone to chasing violations after they occur, rather than preventing them. In Eureka’s case, the Deptartment had every opportunity to stop the spill before it happened.

DEP’s own records discovered alarms disconnected, alarms that were only a short walk from DEP’s Williamsport office where inspectors have known Eureka is reckless (Read worker whistleblower testimonies published in 2023 and 2024).

With oil on the floor for weeks, and unlawful storage across multiple counties…the question is no longer whether Eureka will spill again — it’s whether DEP will do their duty and enforce the law by ending permits for dangerous operators.