Upper Burrell supervisors to consider township's 5th well pad proposal

Upper Burrell residents can weigh in on the township’s fifth proposed well pad next month.

A public hearing for the Artemis well pad, which would be at 931 Merwin Road, will follow the Nov. 1 supervisors meeting, said supervisors Chairman Ross Walker.

Olympus Energy of Cecil Township is seeking approval for the project.

Artemis would consist of a well pad about 500 by 260 feet, an interconnect pad 150 by 150 feet and an access road about 2,600 feet long, according to township documents.

The property is owned by Harry and Bonnie Edgar.

About 1,110 feet of two 16-inch steel gas pipelines would be built to link the well pad to the interconnect pad. Olympus also will apply for permits for utility line crossings and temporary road crossings associated with the project.

The property is woodlands, and it has access roads for existing shallow gas wells, according to the township. The site is in Upper Burrell’s industrial zoning district.

Contingent upon approval, crews would begin site preparation late next year with drilling to start in 2026, said Marc Maestra, spokesman for Olympus.

There would be six wells at Artemis, he said.

To mitigate noise, Olympus would establish sound walls around the project.

“We’re leaning toward approving it,” Walker said. “We have to hear the testimony at the hearing.”

Walker said well pads create jobs and opportunities for people in the township. The sites also allow property owners “to reap some reward,” he said regarding royalties and leases.

Would be fifth well pad

If approved, Artemis would be the fifth well pad in Upper Burrell.

The other well pads, also from Olympus, are Zeus, along Guyer Road; Calliope, off White Cloud Road; Selene, along Seventh Street Road; and Hephaestus, on private property in the 400 block of Merwin Road.

Those projects have been beneficial to Upper Burrell and township landowners, Walker said.

“For the most part, they’ve been good,” Walker said. “They have been helpful to the township, helpful to the property owner. I think they’re good all the way around.”