WARREN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A sign reading “Protect the Water” stands outside Warren Township High School on July 15, 2025, where residents gathered for a public meeting on injection well concerns. (Buckeye Environmental Network via AP)
Residents in Washington County, Ohio, are becoming increasingly aware of the concerns and threats that wastewater injection wells pose to the area and the drinking water aquifers. On July 15th, the community gathered for a public meeting at Warren Township High School to learn more about the concerns regarding the injection well. Class II Salt Water Waste Injection Wells accept oil and gas waste, or “brine” from the hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” industry across the region. Additionally, Ohio accepts waste from other states. Washington County has 17 such wells, ranking it in the top 5 counties in the state for the number of wells. The County also had the second-highest volume of waste injected in both 2023 and 2024, at 251,509,398 and 188,431,582 gallons of waste, respectively. The wastewater is a slurry of chemicals, heavy metals, high salt, sand, and radioactivity.
During this meeting, residents gathered to learn about the current issues surrounding injection wells suspected of leaking, or “migrating” brine waste. For background, there are multiple documented instances of brine waste leaking from the intended injection zone up to 5 miles away in some cases in Southeast Ohio. The state has paused and shut down multiple injection wells in recent years. A similar situation is suspected in Washington County. Conventional (or traditional) oil and gas production wells have been under abnormal pressure for years in Washington County, and the Ohio Dept of Natural Resources (ODNR), which oversees the industry, has not adequately investigated the cause to date. There is no systemic, methodical, long-term investigative data collection happening within the state to analyze just how many of the oil and gas production wells have been impacted, or just how far the brine waste has migrated from the intended zone underground.
WARREN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Residents attend a public meeting on July 15, 2025, at Warren Township High School to address risks linked to nearby Class II injection wells. Concerned well owners and local officials spoke about suspected brine waste migration. (Buckeye Environmental Network via AP)
Instead of pausing injection well activity and investigating the potential harms, ODNR is permitting additional wastewater wells. DeepRock Disposal Solutions, LLC (who currently owns 5 injection wells within a 5-mile radius of the city of Marietta) was just permitted for an additional injection well in 2025. DeepRock has also applied for an additional Class I injection well, which would inject various forms of industrial waste underground at high pressure, in addition to gas and oil waste. The company proposes to bring the waste in via train, rail car, and barges on the Ohio River.
The community listened to oil and gas well owners who have already been impacted by injection wells. The individuals have been battling this issue for years. The Warren Water Board and Warren Township Trustees were also represented at the meeting, and spoke of their concerns about the brine waste eventually making its way to the fresh water aquifers.
Community Meeting Slides:
