Methane gas was detected Wednesday near the same well on Ninth Street in Vandergrift that was temporarily shut down because of a gas leak in May.
The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is investigating the leak, which has not been detected at nearby homes and poses no danger to the public, said Helen Humphreys, the agency's spokeswoman.
Operations at the new well were halted when Gas and Oil Co. LLC of Apollo reported a methane gas leak to DEP in May. Although no gas was detected inside any of the East Vandergrift homes close to the well, according to the state, high concentrations of stray methane gas were documented along Foundry Street near McKinley Avenue.
The company fractured several porous rock formations about 3,500 feet below the surface while extracting methane gas. Company and state officials believe the methane gas migrated through the porous rock formations and traveled horizontally toward an old abandoned well, which has since been filled and capped.
Since then, the company "killed" the new well, filling it with a saltwater solution to prevent the gas from escaping the underground rock formations. It also installed a venting system and protective casing.
Gas monitors have been placed in five East Vandergrift homes close to the well.
The Gas and Oil Co. resumed operations this week when the new leak was detected, according to Humphreys. The company is expected to continue work at the site today.
"We're trying to make a determination whether it's residual gas being influenced by atmospheric pressure or there's another issue," she said.
Because the new well is still not re-activated, Humphreys said, company and DEP officials believe that it is unlikely that the new well is causing the leak."
