Buckeye Environmental Network started organizing around injection wells and toxic brine migration in Washington County about a year and a half ago. Last week, that work paid off.
The Problem
Class II injection wells are used to dispose of liquid waste from oil and gas production. This waste, often called “brine,” comes up from fracked wells carrying a toxic mix of chemicals, heavy metals, and radioactive elements. These wells are drilled about 5,500 feet deep, and the waste is forced underground at pressures above 1,000 psi into layers of porous rock known as pore space.
There is no underground pool or cavern where the waste collects. Instead, it spreads out horizontally through the rock, where it can migrate along cracks or faults.
What BEN is doing about it
On June 23rd, Buckeye Environmental Network published a comprehensive report documenting the pressure increases in oil and gas wells near the Redbird #4 injection well. The data was very straightforward. These old vertical wells had pressures that were climbing for years near injection wells, in some cases by over a thousand percent. Why were these pressures climbing? What was being done about it? What could this mean for Washington County’s geology?
The Progress
Nine days later, on July 1st and 2nd, ODNR notified the owners of four Class II injection wells in Washington County that their wells were suspected of impacting nearby oil and gas production. The owners agreed to voluntarily cease operations. Those four wells are Redbird No. 4, Redbird No. 5, American Growers No. 1, and Nichols No. 1-A.
We didn’t hear about it right away, nor did ODNR announce it. We found out from a member of the media, a full week later, on July 10th.
After the report was released weeks earlier, BEN held a press conference on July 7th, in Washington County. Community advocates, oil and gas well owners, impacted landowners, a geologist, a water authority representative, a former county commissioner, and a state representative all stood up and said the same thing: ODNR needs to launch a real, long-term investigation into brine migration, leaking injection wells and potential impacts to drinking water sources in southeastern Ohio, not just at Redbird.
Washington County: A Hotspot
Washington County is one of the hardest-hit areas in the state. It takes in more waste into class II wells than any other county. 2 more were recently permitted by ODNR last year but haven’t yet been drilled. If those are drilled, there will be 6 Class II wells within two miles of Marietta’s drinking water aquifer.
Washington County took in one-fifth of all brine waste injected in Ohio in 2023–2024. Over the last 15 years, the county alone has absorbed 3,147,153,030 gallons (3.1 billion) or 4,768 Olympic swimming pools.
The county has also experienced increased seismic activity in recent years. There are multiple fault lines beneath it, yet ODNR has not adequately investigated whether injection pressure and fluid migration are connected to these quakes.
There’s Still Work to Do
We can’t say for certain what moved ODNR to act on July 1st and 2nd, but the timing speaks for itself. Within days of the release of our report, the state took long overdue action on an issue that has remained unresolved for six years.
This progress is the culmination of a year and a half of organizing, but the fight isn’t over ODNR still hasn’t committed to the long-term investigation we’re asking for, and the brine migration problem in Washington County is bigger than four wells, but this is proof that when communities, well owners, scientists, and elected officials show up together, the state has to respond.
Many questions remain as to what is next and what will be done about the toxic pressure that is building under the surface. Will the wells be suspended and forced to stop operating? How will ODNR be certain the brine waste won’t continue to migrate in the future, given the fact that interventions of drilling deeper were already approved by ODNR to American Growers #1 and Redbird #4 in the past?
What will come of the three additional DeepRock injection wells proposed (two Class II wells permitted by ODNR but not yet drilled, and one Class I well in the application process with Ohio EPA) within 2 miles of Marietta’s Source Water Protection Area? We already filed suit against ODNR for permitting the construction of the Class II wells under outdated regulations, however the company would need a separate permit to inject waste into the well should it be constructed. The ODNR should tell DeepRock that those wells will never be approved for a permit to inject waste due to this new information and concerns of brine migration already happening in that area.
The history of “unprecedented migration of brine” has already been established by ODNR. The Redbird #4 well in Washington County, the Warren and Travis Wells in Noble County, the K&H wells and the Reliable Resources wells in Athens County have all been documented to have migrated far from the intended injection geological zone and impacted oil and gas wells from miles away. Is SE Ohio geology even capable of handling these massive amounts of toxic fluids? When will the state complete a comprehensive investigation into the brine migration and potential impacts to drinking water sources in Washington County? We’ll keep pushing until Washington County gets the investigation it deserves.
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Related Media Coverage:
WTAP TV News – ODNR: Four injection wells cease operations amid brine migration concerns
Signal Ohio – Four underground waste wells suspended as Ohio regulators fear a leak
Farm and Dairy – Four injection wells in Washington County shut down due to brine migration
Athens County Independent – Washington County injection wells stop operating amid migration concerns
Ohio Newsroom – Four Washington County injection wells stop operating over concerns of migrating waste