Misinformation about injection wells continues, and we’re going to keep correcting it. Put it down to confusion or intentional misleading, I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt. There are two key issues that are frequently portrayed inaccurately. Brine migration and radioactivity.

Brine migration, while extremely rare, is a regulatory and operational issue, not a public safety threat. Brine migration does not mean it has entered a public waterway (or even come close). In 40 years of injection wells in Ohio, there has never been a case of injection wells leaking fluid into our public drinking water supply.

The contents of the brine are repeatedly misdiagnosed. Fracking fluid is overwhelmingly salt water. In most cases, frack water is 90% brine, 8% sand, and 2% additives. It is the industry that creates fluids; injection wells simply and safely dispose of them. Radioactivity is never added to the brine; it occurs naturally underground and is not created by injection wells. The additives and their purposes are publicly available through industry disclosure requirements.