Anti-fracking residents’ complaints about neglected injection well inspections in Athens County might be warranted. All four class II injection wells have recently seen periods of more than 30 weeks without inspection.
According to Ohio Department of Natural Resources records of Athens County class II injection well inspections, the Hahn Paul, Hazel Ginsberg, Miller Carless and Earl Akers wells have each gone more than 30 weeks without being inspected in the last three years.
Class II injection wells are used to dispose of waste called “brine” from hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” operations.
The Hahn Paul injection well, located on Route 329 in Guysville, was inspected on Nov. 17, 2010, according to the records, but was not inspected again until Aug. 16, 2011 — a 36-week period.
Similarly, the Earl Akers injection well, located on Country Road 10 in Albany, was inspected on Nov. 17, 2010 but was not inspected again until Aug. 3, 2011. According to the records, this well was issued five violations on Aug. 8, 2011 — problems that might have been caught earlier with regular inspections.
The department places a high importance on continually conducting inspections, said Heidi Hetzel-Evans, spokesperson for the ODNR, though records show there were some periods with a lack of attention.
“We inspect class II injection wells every 10 to 11 weeks,” Hetzel-Evans said, adding that the Athens County wells have recently been averaging inspections once a month. However, in a more recent interview, she said the 10-11 week interval is an average estimate.
According to the ODNR website, class II injection well regulations include inspections for each well every 11 to 12 weeks, which is more stringent than national Environmental Protection Agency regulations that require an inspection once a year.
In 2012, ODNR began hiring more inspectors to keep up with the increase in shale development in the state.
“With the passage of Senate Bill 315 in 2012, ODNR has doubled the number of well inspectors and will continue to hire more inspectors to enforce one of the nation’s most stringent regulatory programs for oil and gas,” Hetzel-Evans said.
Many local residents claim that the Athens County wells are not being regularly inspected, which could lead to missed violations and dangerous situations.
“The (Ohio) Department of Natural Resources Division of Oil and Gas would tell you that inspections are (happening) on a regular basis and that no wells are out of compliance in Athens County,” said Roxanne Groff, former Athens County commissioner and Athens County Fracking Action Network member.
The Hazel Ginsberg injection well, located on Ladd Ridge Road in Albany, which has been the location of recent protests, has had numerous violations during the last 20 years, Groff said, adding that this is mainly due to “huge gaps in inspection records.”
In addition to the gaps between inspections, the records confirm that some violations were not fixed before the date required by the inspector. Some of the problems might not have been fixed at all because some records lack a date for when action was taken to fix the violation.
The Earl Akers well was issued five violations on Aug. 8, 2011, according to ODNR inspection records. The “required action” to fix the violation was “to be completed by” Sept. 5, 2011, but there is no date entered for when the violation was fixed.
The Hahn Paul well was issued four violations on Aug. 18, 2011. According to ODNR inspection records, the violation was supposed to be fixed by Sept. 19, 2011, but was not fixed until Feb. 10, 2012, almost four months later.
“The ODNR says (the injection wells) are safe, and we’re saying they’re not safe,” Groff said.
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