COLUMBUS — Ohio would be prohibited from applying radioactive brine from oil and gas drilling to roads and highways as a de-icer and dust inhibitor under a bill pushed by Democrats as part of a larger package of water quality measures.
Other proposals would impose a temporary moratorium on approval of so-called factory farms that produce large volumes of manure, replace lead water pipes, and tackle so-called “forever chemical” contamination.
“Ohio is one of only 10 states that permits the use of brine as a de-icing or dust-inhibiting application by spraying it on road surfaces...,” said Rep. Mary Lightbody (D., Westerville), sponsor of House Bill 579. “Because this so-called brine is supposedly naturally occurring, there are currently no state laws that consider the radioactive elements...that the product contains, nor do laws limit its use.”
The potentially cancer-causing product is slow to decay and is water-soluble, threatening surface and groundwater. She said this drilling wastewater should instead be stored in injection wells well below the ground from which it was drawn via vertical or conventional oil and gas extraction.
The Ohio Department of Transportation has already made the decision to stop purchasing AquaSalina, a brine brand name, but it continues to use what it has in its warehouses, according to spokesman Matt Bruning.
Last year ODOT used 19.2 million gallons of liquid de-icer, the vast majority of which was its own in-house salt mixture brine. It is used when pavement temperatures drop below 20 degrees.
AquaSalina amounted to 280,000, or 1.4 percent of that.
“Over the last several years more and more products have come on the market, so the need to rely on just one has done down,” Mr. Bruning said. “There are more tools in the tool belt to pick from.”
He could not say, however, whether ODOT would be willing to ban the use of brine from oil and gas wells altogether.
House Bill 365, recently introduced by House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D., Upper Arlington), would require the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to develop maximum standards for Polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in drinking water. These were once commonly used for industrial use, such things as the manufacture of carpet, non-stick cooking surfaces, and clothing.
The Ohio EPA tested water systems across the state in 2020, finding low levels of PFAS in 6 percent of systems. The study found two public water systems in which PFAS levels were above what the state considers to be an action level.
“Ohio EPA is following U.S. EPA in their evaluation and determination of Health Advisory Levels and the Maximum Contaminant Levels for drinking water,” said spokesman James Lee. “As the science and regulation continues to evolve, Ohio EPA will evaluate that information in further regulating (the chemicals).”
All of these bills lack support to date from Republicans, who hold super-majorities in both the House and Senate.
Rep. Mike Sheehy (D., Oregon) has pushed for passage of House Bill 349. which would prevent the construction of any more large confined animal feeding operations within the Maumee River watershed until Ohio makes good on its 2015 pledge with Michigan and the province of Ontario to reduce phosphorous runoff into Lake Erie by 40 percent by 2025.
“This bill is not meant to be an attack on agricultural industry or farmers, but we know the vast nutrients, phosphorous and nitrogen causing the harmful algal blooms, is coming from farms...,” he said. “A healthy Lake Erie, our state's most precious natural resource, is inextricably linked with strong and stable economic growth and safer, healthier families.”
Phosphorous and nitrogen pollution are primarily blamed for fueling chronic harmful algal blooms on Lake Erie each summer, such as the type that contaminated Toledo's drinking water supply in 2014. Democrats praised Gov. Mike DeWine's H2Ohio initiative — a long-term effort that to date has been funded two years at a time — that targets programs to clean up Lake Erie, the Ohio River, and other state waterways. In addition to the fertilizer runoff issue, Melanie Houston, of the Ohio Environmental Council, pointed to the program's efforts to replace lead-lined water delivery pipes in the state.
“Getting your water delivered to your home through a lead service line is like drinking your water through a lead straw...,” she said. “It's time to get the lead out.”
Her comments following the announcement on Monday that H2Ohio would spend an additional $4 million to replace lead pipes, half of which will go to six communities that have already mapped out nearly 500 pipes for replacement. These include the Delphos area in Allen and Van Wert counties.
The state is also expected to receive about $24 million a year for several years from the federal infrastructure law for this purpose.
First Published March 8, 2022, 6:11 p.m.
