Representatives from several Washington County water systems, local governments and citizen advocacy groups met Wednesday to discuss concerns about oil and gas wastewater injection wells and to sign resolutions calling on state leaders to enact a temporary moratorium.

Organizers said the resolutions will be delivered today to the office of Gov. Mike DeWine following a planned press conference at the Ohio Statehouse.

The meeting, organized by Washington County for Safe Drinking Water, included speakers front the City of Marietta, several water boards, township officials and local well owners.

Advocates outline concerns

Dee Arnold, on behalf of Washington County for Safe Drinking Water, opened the meeting highlighting what she described as the volume of oil and gas wastewater being injected in the local ground.

Arnold claimed that in 2024 Deep-Rock Disposal Solutions injected 789,669,972 gallons of wastewater in Washington County. She said the Safe Drinking Water organization has been working with local water authorities and governments to raise awareness about potential risks to drinking water supplies.

She said several entities – including the Warren Water board, Putnam Water board, Little Hocking Water Association, Highland Ridge Water Association, Tri-County Water Board, Muskingum Township, Village of Beverly and the City of Marietta — have adopted resolutions requesting a moratorium on new injection wells.

Arnold said the goal of the effort was to encourage state officials to study the issue and consider new regulations.

Comparisons with other states

Hillary Royster with Washington County for Safe Drinking Water said that based on data from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Ohio has 232 Class II injection wells, compared with 18 in Pennsylvania and 27 in West Virginia.

“About 50% of the waste injected into Ohio is from out of state,” Royster said.

According to Royster, more than 2.8 billion gallons of oil and gas wastewater have been injected in Washington County since 2010, citing ODNR data.

City council perspective

Marietta City Council President Susan Vessels said the issue came to her attention last year during a meeting about pending injection well permits near the city.

“At that time, I had no idea what an injection well was,” Vessels said. “Similarly, the rest of the city council was unfamiliar.”

Vessels said she organized a meeting to educate council members about the issue and invited experts from the oil and gas industry, as well as geologists and other scientists.

She stated that the council subsequently adopted a resolution asking state leaders to consider legislation addressing injection wells near aquifers in Washington County.

Water officials discuss concerns

Steve Hutchinson, a trustee with the Warren Water Association, said the water system began examining the issue after residents raised concerns regarding injection wells.

Hutchinson said during discussions with officials from ODNR and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, he was told regulators could not guarantee that contamination would never occur.

Muskingum Township Trustee Jay Huck said the township adopted a resolution supporting the moratorium request. He said it asks state officials to consider a three-year pause on new injection well permits in Washington County and a study of wastewater migration. He said township officials believe the request would give the state time to gather more data about potential impacts.

Resolutions headed to Columbus

Representatives from water boards and other municipalities signed a letter accompanying the resolutions. Organizers said the documents and petition signatures collected locally will be delivered Thursday at the Statehouse.

Arnold said the effort was new to the community.

“This is the first time that representatives from our water districts have ever met with the goal of working across jurisdictions to protect water,” she said.

Need to know terms:

Brine

Brine is salt water that comes to the surface during oil and natural gas production. It often contains dissolved solids, metals and naturally occurring radioactive materials. Because it cannot be reused safely, it is typically disposed of through underground injection. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

Class II Injection Wells

Class II wells are federally regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act and are used only for fluids associated with oil and gas production. They dispose of brine and other liquid waste by injecting it deep underground into porous rock formations, sealed off from groundwater by layers of rock and casing. More than 180,000 Class II wells operate nationwide. (Sources: U.S. EPA, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency)

Class I Injection Wells

Class I wells are used for non-hazardous and hazardous industrial and municipal waste. They inject waste thousands of feet below drinking water aquifers into isolated rock formations. These wells are subject to stricter siting, construction, monitoring and testing requirements than Class II wells. (Sources: U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA)