On Monday evening (July 16), I attended a public meeting at Warren High School, hosted by Buckeye Environmental Network, about a proposed Class I injection well in Washington County. The well – proposed by DeepRock Disposal Solutions – would inject up to 6,000 barrels of toxic industrial waste per day into deep shale formations near a known aquifer, and within just 400 feet of an existing injection site.

According to public records, the proposed well will operate at pressures exceeding 13,000 psi–approaching levels known to trigger seismic activity. While the operator claims the well will be sealed from water sources, we’ve seen evidence that brine can migrate. Landowners in our region have reported production wells flooding with pressurized fluid, with some losing the ability to use their wells entirely.

These risks are not abstract. Once groundwater is contaminated or the subsurface geology is compromised, the damage is effectively irreversible. And while the permitting authority rests with the state, it’s local communities – people like us – who bear the consequences when something goes wrong.

As a member of Marietta City Council, I attended the meeting not to speak, but to listen. And what I heard was urgent and clear: silence equals acceptance. We cannot afford to look away or assume someone else is watching out for us.

I have called a Committee of the Whole meeting today (July 29) at 5:30 p.m. at the armory where state officials, Buckeye Environmental Network and reps from Deep Rock have all been invited.

Change at the state level won’t happen unless residents of Marietta and Washington County make their voices heard – loudly and collectively.

Whether you’re worried about clean drinking water, property rights, or seismic risks, now is the time to pay attention. This isn’t a fringe issue. It’s a public health issue, a land use issue, and a moral responsibility.

Sincerely,

Erin O’Neill

Marietta City Council, 4th Ward