Morrow County Democrat Women showed their continued engagement in environmental issues last week at their February meeting.

Kathy Winters reported on her experience visiting several injection wells in Morrow County with a Columbus group that has concerns about fracking waste getting into the Columbus water supply.

“You can smell the oil as you drive up to the wells,” commented Winters.

Winters said there are 14 injection wells in Morrow County and 13 are actively receiving fracking waste. There are 245 injection wells in the state of Ohio.

Concerns expressed by the Columbus Community Bill of Rights group include: frack waste is being imported to Ohio from West Virginia and Pennsylvania; frack waste is radioactive up to 9,000 times EPA safe drinking water limits; frack waste water contains carcinogens and harmful chemicals; injection wells are known to cause earthquakes and frack waste water injection wells are known to spill, leak and fail.

For more information about the location of injection wells there is a website fracktracker.org.

Another concern the women intend to follow is the authorizing of 719 acres of land in Wayne National Forest for the purpose of fracking. There were also questions about the potential of landfills coming to Morrow County. Patti Ray answered that the landfill to be built at Co. Rd. 170 and Co. Rd. 25 was successfully stopped. The landfill permit for Washington Township has been renewed.

It was recalled by a group member that two of the people who led the fight against the landfills were past Commissioner Mary Moser and present Commissioner Burgess Castle.

Presiding Chairman of the Democrat Women’s Club, Susan Grundy noted that it is a time to be active and call senators, state representatives and congressmen. She also urged members to write congressmen and visit them face-to-face whenever possible.

Grundy noted it is the mission of the County Democrat Women to support local issues and candidates. The next meeting of the Morrow County Democrat Women’s Club will be Tues. March 7 at 6 p.m. at Edison Depot Restaurant. Those wishing to order food can come earlier.

File photo Equipment and trucks are on location in Canaan Township for the first horizontal well permitted in Morrow County.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2017/02/web1_web1_Frack-well.jpgFile photo Equipment and trucks are on location in Canaan Township for the first horizontal well permitted in Morrow County.

By Alberta Stojkovic

The Sentinel