Officials Mark Milestone In Plugging Abandoned Wells

A milestone in Washington County last week as state and local leaders met in Somerset Township to celebrate the plugging of the state’s 500^th orphaned or abandoned well during the Shapiro administration.    Officials say such wells often leak methane, threaten groundwater, and create safety hazards. The well in Somerset Township was actively leaking gas into the ground and atmosphere in a residential neighborhood. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has identified more than 27,000 abandoned wells across the state.