"Washington County residents are raising concerns that injection wells in southeastern Ohio leaking brine waste will eventually pollute Marietta’s drinking water.
Brine waste traveled underground from the Redbird #4 injection well in Marietta to active oil and gas wells about five miles away in 2019 and pressure on those wells has increased significantly ever since.
Citizens are now concerned it’s only a matter of time until the radioactive waste infiltrates Marietta’s aquifer at the bottom of the Muskingum River Valley.
“I think eventually (brine waste) will get to the city of Marietta’s water wells,” said Bob Lane, an oil well producer in Washington County.
“I actually believe this may take a few years before you lose your water well,” he said at a recent press conference."
Megan Henry reports for the Ohio Capital Journal July 14, 2026.
