Coshocton residents voice concerns over Buckeye Brine permits

COSHOCTON - Hundreds of concerned Coshocton County residents gathered in the auditorium of Coshocton High School Thursday night to question Ohio Environmental Protection Agency officials over pending Class I well permits for Buckeye Brine.

The brine injection facility along U.S. 36 is seeking to convert two of its three Class II injection wells to Class I, shifting from taking brine water produced by hydraulic fracturing collected during oil and natural gas extraction to taking a variety of non-hazardous waste.

Jess Stottsberry, a geologist with the Ohio EPA Division of Drinking and Ground Waters, began the evening with a presentation about the permits and the Buckeye Brine site. He walked residents through details of the permit and the process of evaluating the request.

One concern by many is the threat of seismic activity either caused by the injection or exposing the wells. No faults have been found in the area of the facility and no seismic events recorded or known in the Coshocton area, Stottsberry said, and no Class I well has ever fractured.

The wells, Stottsberry said, would be built well below the water line, with constant monitoring systems for leaks and pressure, as well as an auto-shutoff system should a leak or pressure issue be detected. The wells would be subject to a minimum of two inspections a year, possibly more because of their newness and size.

Following the presentation, residents, many of them furious, asked questions during a Q&A session and gave public testimony for the record.

Some were concerned about on-the-job training for the employees at Buckeye Brine.

"It's ridiculous that there's no training needed, but if you want to be a barber in Ohio, you need to have a license for that," said Eric Cridler.

Others wondered about the monitoring systems after the wells are closed, skeptical that Buckeye Brine was going to stay in Coshocton for a while. OEPA officials responded explaining the closure and post-closure process for wells, which included groundwater monitoring.

Many had questions about some of the wording being used in discussions, including "not unreasonable risk" and "non-hazardous."

"If it's going into the ground, it's too dangerous to be above ground. What is it that is going into these wells?" one resident asked during the Q&A.

The agency said it has a list of what is being proposed to be injected, but will need to do more research on that info before answering, drawing mass groans from the audience. As far as "non-hazardous" material, officials said non-hazardous is anything that's not hazardous.

Samples of the material coming into Buckeye Brine will be tested daily to determine its chemical profile, and data collected by the OEPA will be open records for the public and available on its online portal.

During public testimony, many residents spoke about the importance of clean drinking water, citing a 1991 incident in Winona, Texas where chemicals mixing in a well exposed local residents to hazardous materials. Phyllis Glazer, a former resident on Winona and now an advocate speaking out against waste wells, was at the meeting and recounted her experience during public testimony.

Others disputed the study of the property, pointing to the Greenville fault and an imminent earthquake.

"There's no data to suggest injection today induces seismic activity," Stottsberry responded. "If there was seismic activity, it could be tracked back." Ohio EPA also has a 24-hour response team, he said.

Debra Shaw, a longtime resident of Coshocton County, said she remembers an earthquake in 1980 as well as one in 2004 or 2005, questioning the agency's records on seismic activity.

Damage to one well, where the bottom 80 feet of the inner casing detached and fell deeper into the well, is not an issue, Stottsberry said, though many residents argued the well should have been closed long ago because of the error.

Commissioner Gary Fischer spoke regarding the commission's July conversations with the Ohio EPA on the matter, saying he will enter them into the record.

Jeff Polland presented a statement from the Coschocton Board of Health objecting to the Class II and Class I wells.

"It's in our backyard, and we don't get to vote on it," Brian Kittner testified, upset by the lack of control he feels he has over the situation. Some asked for an extension to the public comment period, slated to close on Oct. 26, and requested another public hearing.

"Why should we have to defend our own home from our state?" Ken Brode asked in his testimony. "It's because the Ohio EPA sold us out."

Another resident submitted a request to Gov. John Kasich to intervene.

"I have heard nothing this evening that has assured me," Anne Cornell said.

"Can't you guarantee us anything?" one resident asked.

"No, I can't 100 percent guarantee you anything, but I can guarantee strong regulation from the Ohio EPA," Stottberry said in response.

Written comments may be mailed before Oct. 26 to Ohio EPA, Division of Drinking and Ground Waters, Attn: UIC Supervisor, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, OH 43216-1049. Officials said the agency will respond to every question and send out a release with their response.

ndharris@gannett.com

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