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Reference: This letter concerns the subject of Frack Water and is in response to the article by Gwen Sour printed in the Sept. 5, issue of the Marietta Times.
It was stated that the city tests selected wells monthly for VOCs and for chloride and conductivity. Begging questions, such as:
•Why aren’t all wells tested? What proportion of the wells is tested? Is the well testing organization certified by the US EPA as proficient and competent?
•Are the personnel involved in taking samples, preparing samples and doing the actual testing properly and recently trained, tested and certified as competent? How often? Recognizing that frack water commonly contains naturally occurring radioactive material, is radioactive material tested for and, if not, why not?
•Are the answers to all of these questions documented in a public record?
It was stated that “properly located and inspected injection wells operate safely.”
•What measures are taken to ensure that injection wells in Washington County are properly located and inspected? Who determines what a proper location is? Is the organization and the people/person that determines “proper location” certified, trained, tested, qualified in accordance with recognized standards to do quality work in this area of expertise?
•It was stated that it is known that frack water has traveled at least 5 miles underground in one Ohio case. And, somehow, the Marietta municipal water wells are supposedly only 2 miles away from a frack water injection well. How did this happen? What part of location procedure failed and why will it never fail again? The regulatory process clearly is not working. It only takes one well to cause contamination of the Marietta municipal water supply.
Lastly, I don’t think that the seriousness of our frack water situation is fully appreciated.
As a hypothetical, let’s suppose that the Marietta Municipal water supply becomes contaminated with radioactive frack water (After all, we know that there are several ways in which this could happen. And it doesn't matter which way it might happen.) And let’s also suppose that a young couple with a child about to graduate from high school are considering Marietta College as their choice for continuing education. And then let's suppose that the family learns that the Marietta municipal water supply is contaminated with radioactive material. Do you think that there is any chance that that child will be going to Marietta College? And what if that same scenario plays out over several hundred or several thousand potential Marietta College students? What happens to Marietta College?
As another hypothetical, what if the Marietta municipal water supply becomes contaminated with radioactive material from frack water and then a member of the Washington County real estate sales community finds out about it. As the word spreads, real estate prices as well as volume of sales plummet.
I believe that if Marietta's municipal water supply becomes contaminated with frack water, you can just turn out the lights in Marietta and probably in Washington County as well.
I have shared this scenario with one of my daughters who lives out east and she has suggested that I move out east near her. But, I love Marietta and there is no other place in the world that I would rather live.
I would strongly encourage the elected officials, those responsible for the health and safety of their constituents, take definitive action immediately to completely eliminate frack water injection in Washington County, Ohio, and preferably in the whole state.
Charles Lowe
Marietta