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Plum Injection Well

Plum Zoning Hearing Board Meeting

Protect PT has been advocating for Plum Borough's access to clean air and water ever since Penneco started operating their first gas waste injection well. Penneco applied for a second well permit not even a year after Sedat 3A began accepting waste in 2021. Almost 3 years after Protect PT and Three Rivers Waterkeepers appealed the Plum Borough Zoning Hearing Board's decision to allow a second well, the courts have handed the decision back down to the ZHB. This site was not approved.​​​

Fracking Waste Disposal Injection Well Threatens Pittsburgh’s Drinking Water:

The Plum Injection Well is situated near the Allegheny River, the drinking water source for the city of Pittsburgh and surrounding communities. A leak from the injection well could impact hundreds of thousands of residents. 

“We feel vindicated in pressing forward and insisting that they, the Plum Zoning Hearing Board, take into consideration the health and safety of the community in their decision,”  said Gillian Graber, Executive Director of Protect PT.

 

“Like many municipalities facing the tremendous pressure from the industry, the Plum Borough Zoning Hearing Board believed it had no other option but to approve this new well, but townships and municipalities across Pennsylvania can take heart that there are remedies in the law for municipalities to stop this unwanted development,” said James Cirilano, Protect PT’s Community Advocate.

Clean Water Act

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Learn More About The Risks

In spite of the lack of community support, PA DEP and EPA approved the Sedat 3A Injection Well. This well began accepting fracking waste in 2021. Currently, Penneco is seeking to add a second injection well to the site. This new well is called Sedat 4A.

Plum Borough and Protect PT Challenge Injection Well

In January 2022, the Plum Borough Zoning Hearing Board reluctantly approved the Sedat 4A Injection Well. Plum Borough appealed the decision of their own Zoning Hearing Board in a unique case. Protect PT filed joined the appeal in support of residents in Plum. 

In January of 2024, Protect PT successfully appealed the Zoning Hearing Board's Decision to approve the Sedat 4A Injection Well. Upon their reconsideration of the decision, the Plum Borough Zoning Hearing Board moved to deny the application to develop the Sedat 4A Injection Well. But Penneco won't take "No" for an answer and has appealed the Zoning Hearing Board's decision, citing bias against the developer from Plum Borough.

In 2026, Protect PT is continuing to litigate on behalf of Plum Borough and its residents' health and well-being.

Appeals require paying for expert witnesses and other legal fees. Your donation of any amount helps us challenge this injection well.

Protecting Plum Borough

Following our successful appeal of the Plum Zoning Hearing Board's (ZHB) approval the Sedat 4A Injection Well, the Plum ZHB has issued a new decision. In support of Plum residents' health and well-being, the Plum ZHB has ultimately elected to deny Penneco's application to develop the Sedat 4A Injection Well.

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But our work isn't over yet.

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Penneco has appealed the Plum ZHB's decision to deny their application, citing that the harmful impacts of the Sedat 3A on Plum residents are speculative, and that the decision is the result of bias from the township. This marks yet another effort by the oil and gas industry to undermine the will of the people and the systems that protect them.

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Read our blog to learn more, and support our defense of Plum Borough!

Residents share their experiences:

Residents have reported horrible smells and pollution, excessive noise and truck traffic, water contamination and health impacts from the Sedat 3A Injection Well in Plum. Several residents have expressed concerns about the proposed Sedat 4A Injection Well, which would be located at the same site as the existing well. 

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Katie shows reporters bottles of her water before and after the first injection well started.

Read the letter to Gov. Wolf regarding the revocation of Plum Injection Well permit and the risks of the project on the public.

Plum Injection well letter regarding the Well permit and public risks

Read the letter from the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority and the Mayor written to Governor Wolf requesting that he intervene in the Plum Injection Well to protect Pittsburgh's water.

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Protect PT's Environmental Science team conducting water monitoring around the Plum Injection Well:

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