DEP and Conservation District visit West Pike Run Township
Officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Washington County Conservation District visited Elm Road in West Pike Run Township on Monday, where residents have sounded alarms over the deteriorating condition of the township-maintained road.
A DEP representative said the agency is collecting information and “trying to get an idea of what is going on” along the 1.5-mile long unpaved road following growing local outrage over severe road degradation that has occurred over the years.
About half-a-dozen homes are located along the narrow, twisty road that sees heavy truck traffic from a hydraulic fracturing well pad located along the road, including the Smith family, whose 9-year-old son, Cash, who was born with a heart defect and other medical issues, is wheelchair-bound, and suffers from daily seizures that have required multiple ambulance trips to the hospital.
Residents have sought help from the township over the years, but they say their efforts to get road repairs have stalled. They are hoping the DEP and WCCD will help them get answers.
“We’ve been dealing with this a long time, a very long time,” said Jack O’Neil of 158 Elm Road, who has been dealing with the road conditions for decades. “We just want to get something done.”