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Activists Demand Answers on Brine Spill in Trumbull
WARREN, Ohio – Activists concerned over a recent brine spill in Trumbull County say they want more information regarding the size and scope of the accident, and precisely what contaminants may have been discharged.
"I would like to get a handle on what happened," said Susie Beiersdorfer, a geologist and member of Frack Free Mahoning Valley, a group opposed to hydraulic fracturing. She said that there are conflicting news reports iabout how much wastewater was lost when a tank being transported from an injection well spilled brine along Warner Road Saturday.
Beiersdofer, John Williams and Monica Beasley-Martin attended a meeting of the Board of Trumbull County Commissioners Wednesday to voice their concerns.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources hasn't tested brine in injection wells since 1989, according to Beasley-Martin of Liberty Township. "There have been a lot of changes since," she said, noting that much of the wastewater from oil and gas operations contain toxic materials.
Hydraulic fracturing is a process that uses chemicals, sand, and water injected under high pressure to break up shale rock 7,000 feet below the earth's surface. Critics of the process say that the wastewater generated from drilling sites could potentially poison water supplies, and could cause long-term environmental and health problems.
"Only 10 wells in the state are capable of handling hazardous waste," Beasley-Martin asserted.
Williams advocated that residents have their water tested before drilling ramps up in Trumbull County. He's worried that the Warner Road spill might pose contamination to ground water, which would elevate acidic levels in the water supply there before it could be tested.
"Even if a small amount of contaminants get in, then the baseline water and test is contaminated," Williams said.
The spill was reported Saturday when Trumbull County Engineer Randy Smith noticed a trail of discolored fluid leading from an injection well on Warner Road just north of state Route 305 in Fowler Township, and then west along 305 for about five miles.
"Our concern is that when there's an incident like this that's coming outside of the area, that there are certain safeguards in place," Smith said. "We're not here to be pro-fracking or anti-fracking. We just want to make sure our infrastructure is protected and the appropriate steps are taken when there is an incident of this nature."
Smith said that sand has been placed on top of the spill.
The EPA said the accident discharged roughly 25 gallons, but Smith said it's probably much more. "It's much greater than that."
Trumbull County Commissioner Frank Fuda said that his office is trying to gather as much information as it can on the positives and negatives of hydraulic fracturing. "We're trying to keep up with any of the problems across the country where fracking is being done. Our engineers are working with the roads, and that's part of it," he said.
Fuda said the EPA hasn't provided much additional information problems with the spill Saturday. "From what I understand, they didn't think it was a major problem."
But Beiersdorfer pointed out the public shouldn't have to bear the burden of cleaning up the mistakes made by these large companies -- a lesson learned after the Mahoning Valley's steel industry collapsed during the late 1970s and early 1980s, she said.
"It's private profit at public cost," Beiersdorfer said. "Like the brownfields of Youngstown, it's the taxpayers that ultimately clean up the waste."
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.