Sep 12, 2025 By Garrett Neese 4 min read

Officials in two townships in Greene County have declared disaster emergencies, contending residents have endured three years without suitable drinking water.

The declarations are a result of a June 2022 incident in which EQT personnel are accused of striking an abandoned gas well in Freeport Township while fracking two wells at its Lumber pad in neighboring Springhill Township. Freeport Township Supervisor Guy Hostutler claims that led to the contamination of a local aquifer.

Hostutler said he’s hopeful the declarations will enable the townships to access state and federal funds to address water quality issues.

“The declaration was solely put in place because we’re three years into this with no resolution in sight,” he said in an interview last week.

While Freeport Township’s resolution mentions EQT, Hostutler said the purpose isn’t to assign blame, saying he would let the courts figure that out.

But, he said, “If we waited before everything’s in court and everything’s ruled upon, we could be five years down the line.”

The court proceeding Hostutler referred to is a June 2024 lawsuit filed by three residents in Freeport and Springhill townships. The suit, which seeks $5 million in damages, alleges the fractured well polluted their water with “hazardous substances and industrial waste.”

The suit claims EQT continued operations and misrepresented the situation to the estimated 500 residents of the townships.

David Hice, one of the plaintiffs, contended he experienced “lesions, blisters and rashes” after showering with the water in the summer of 2022.

After a town hall meeting 14 months later, EQT began providing water buffalo delivery to some of the affected residents.

The company said the delivery service would be continued for one year if those residents “released claims and agreed not to publicize the offer or make disparaging remarks about EQT,” according to a court filing authored by U.S. District Court Judge W. Scott Hardy, who is overseeing the case.

EQT has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

While three residents are listed as plaintiffs, at least 100 others want to join the suit, according to court paperwork.

As part of the civil case, Duquesne University professor Dr. John F. Stolz filed an affidavit detailing the methane, ethane and propane he found in water samples collected over 21 months after the well was fractured.

Stolz, a professor of environmental engineering and energy, found it was “imperative that an alternative source of water be provided.”

In Freeport Township, 32 residents are using the water buffaloes, Hostutler said, and additional households have expressed concerns about water quality.

“It is continually growing,” he said. “We’re starting to get reports of contaminated water beyond the affected area.”

Installing a new water line could cost somewhere between $21 million and $25 million, Hostutler said.

The 18-mile line would extend from New Freeport to the existing line near the West Greene School District.

A final cost won’t be known until the completion of an engineering study by the Southwest Pennsylvania Water Authority.

About $6 million of that total has already been committed. A federal omnibus bill signed into law in July contained $5 million toward the new line. Another $1 million came from a donation from Iron Senergy.

Late last month, Hardy denied a motion for a preliminary injunction that would have forced EQT to provide affected residents water buffalos and weekly water delivery; informational mailers about possible contamination, and an explanation of any relief efforts.

In his ruling, the judge found the plaintiffs aren’t “experiencing immediate irreparable harm,” one of the conditions necessary for an injunction. Hardy wrote that any harm done to the plaintiffs “could be addressed through monetary damages.”

A ruling on a motion to dismiss the suit is pending.

On the funding front, Hostutler said the township is “aggressively” holding strategy meetings with local, state and federal officials. They have upcoming meetings with Rep. Guy Reschenthaler and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick’s offices to figure out their next steps.

By working with the lawmakers, Hostutler said, the township can ensure “we’re moving forward, not just walking a flat line across the path.”