A public meeting on an injection well in Washington County has been organized by the Warren Water and Sewer Association for 1-4 p.m. Saturday, April 26 in the auditorium at Warren High School.

“We hope we fill the place,” Steve Hutchinson, a trustee of the association, said.

DeepRock Disposal Solutions has requested a permit for an injection well off Ohio 7 near Bramblewood Heights, Hutchinson said. A public hearing is not being required on the permit by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, so the association scheduled a public meeting about the application, he said.

“We’re doing this on our own,” Hutchinson said, adding many residents may not be aware of the well.

Brine from oil and gas drilling operations is stored in injection wells. The concern is radioactivity from the brine and hazardous compounds will make their way into the sources from where drinking water comes.

“We’re concerned about contamination in our wells and drinking water,” Hutchinson said.

The application was filed in November 2021.

A comment from DeepRock was not immediately available. A comment from the Department of Natural Resources was not immediately available.

No wells operated by the Warren association have been contaminated by the brine from an injection well, Hutchinson said.

“Not at this time,” but it’s what could happen in the future if radioactive contamination or toxic chemicals reach the aquifers, he said.

“We want to head off a catastrophe if at all possible,” Hutchinson said.

Brine would be transported by train and barge, he said.