Hubbard Brine Well Looks Like a Bad Idea

According to this story in the Vindicator, there is a meeting Tuesday afternoon in the Hubbard Township administration building with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to discuss the brine well that is planned for the area near I-80 & Route 62. Please see the map below. The article states it will be located on the property between King Collision and the Yellow Freight terminal.

Brine wells store hydraulic fracturing fluid used during natural gas drilling. This fluid is a brine solution of water and toxic chemicals. It's just the thing to keep away from surface water sources.

What makes this such a monumentally bad idea in this writer's opinion is the proximity of the well to Little Yankee Run Creek, a waterway that feeds into the Shenango River. The Shenango River is a source of drinking water for several communities.

Little Yankee Run Creek is notorious for overflowing its banks in the spring when snow melts and other times of the year when heavy rains occur. It regularly threatens to flood the exit ramp off I-80 and the water level can reach high enough to almost touch the bottom of the bridge on Rt. 62.

If an accident at the well were to occur the hydraulic fracturing fluid at the well site could flow into the creek and contaminate the water supply. The creek itself could flood and overcome the protective spillage barriers around the well. This would also contaminate the water supply.

The meeting to discuss this well is at 3pm tomorrow afternoon at at the Hubbard Township Administration Building, 2600 Elmwood Drive.