Gov. Shapiro visits Washington County for 100th well capping in Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — Gov. Josh Shapiro made his way deep into Washington County on Wednesday to talk about historic progress when it comes to capping wells in the state.

This marked the 100th well that has been capped since he came into office, and Shapiro said this is what Pennsylvanians need for better health and for the environment.

Shapiro stopped by a well capping site in Bavington, near Burgettstown, deep in the woods where his administration’s 100th well is being capped. It’s a well that hasn’t operated in 30 years.

It’s one of hundreds of thousands of wells that experts estimate are spewing harmful gas in Pennsylvania.

The DEP is tasked with finding the wells and capping them. They’ve recently received $25 million in federal funding to aid in the process, which is not easy.

“DEP only has an accurate location for roughly 30,000 wells that we are aware of across PA. That’s a fraction of the hundreds of thousands estimated that are out there,” DEP Secretary Richard Negrin explained.

Workers showed Shapiro high-tech and expensive tools used to find abandoned wells, and how workers cap them. It’s a process that typically takes 2-3 weeks. The concern is that the wells have been spewing harmful gas for decades.

“I’ve spoken to families most affected by these leaking wells,” Shapiro said. “Families who are concerned about their water or the quality of the air near their homes where they are raising their children. I’ve heard from them and we are taking action.”

Amber Norrid protested at the press conference, angry this well was capped before the one on her property nearby, where she can no longer live with her young children.

“I have no water. My water well caught fire,” Norrid said.

Channel 11 looked into Norrid’s situation. The governor’s office told us the DEP will begin prepping her property next week, and a specific rig will move to her home next, ideally ending the gas leaking at her home for good, in less than a month.

The governor said they’ll be moving aggressively to cap and plug across the state.

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