The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection levied a $1.2 million fine against Tulsa-based WPX Energy for contaminating the groundwater supply of five households in 2012, according to a report by NewsOK.com.
WPX Energy agreed to pay the million dollar fine following an agreed consent order issued last December.
The leak occurred at a wastewater pit about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh beneath the oil and natural gas exploration company’s site in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
WPX Energy provided bottled water and water-treatment systems at the affected households. The company is required to demonstrate how it remediated the contaminated site, according to the report.
Since the spill, WPX Energy has sold a majority of its Marcellus Shale holdings despite maintaining a small presence in the play area.