Twenty-three streams that flowed through southwestern Pennsylvania before Energy Transfer built its Revolution pipeline have been filled with dirt. Seventeen wetlands no longer exist because of the 40-mile line, whose explosion in Center Township last September has brought even more scrutiny to the pipeline company that is already among the most investigated in the state.

The early morning blast, caused by a landslide, has been followed by months of continuing violations of state laws meant to protect streams and wetlands.

A month after the explosion, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ordered Texas-based Energy Transfer to stop trying to repair the pipeline and focus instead on stabilizing the nearby ground. DEP also told the company to survey what damage it might have done to water resources along the path of the natural gas gathering line.

Those findings — submitted in February — provided the foundation for the DEP’s new order issued on Monday, setting a timeline for Energy Transfer to do a more comprehensive search for unpermitted damage to water resources and to come up with a plan to repair that damage.

Kris Mamula and Anya Litvak

Officials believe landslide may have triggered massive gas pipeline explosion in Beaver County

According to the February report, Energy Transfer filled in 23 streams, about a dozen of which flowed into Raccoon Creek.

It piled soil and dirt into portions of other streams, eliminating a total of 3,100 feet of streams along its right of way. The company also altered 70 wetlands, in addition to the 17 that were eliminated.

The construction process caused 31 new wetlands and eight new streams to form. 

“The water that was flowing or being stored in these [altered] streams and wetlands had to go somewhere else,” explained DEP spokesman Elizabeth Rementer. “The erosional forces of the water basically carved out new stream channels.”

Earth-moving activities such as laying pipelines do disturb some natural features, although “pipeline projects do not typically eliminate streams and wetlands,” Ms. Rementer said. 

“Any proposals to do so would have to be set forth in permit applications with appropriate justification.”

The streams and wetlands that were part of Monday’s order exist outside of the permitting process. The DEP called them “illegal.”

Anya Litvak

State DEP says company not complying with order after Beaver County pipeline blast

Energy Transfer has until July 30 to complete a full survey of impacted water resources, another month to come up with a plan for restoration, and until Sept. 30 to file any permits needed to carry out the plan.

For water features that can’t be brought back, the DEP wants the company to replace them at a ratio of 4 to 1.

The Revolution Pipeline was built to collect natural gas from wells and carry it through Butler, Beaver, Allegheny and Washington counties to an Energy Transfer processing plant. It was put into service a week before the explosion. 

Anya Litvak: alitvak@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1455.

First Published: May 14, 2019, 9:34 p.m.