Ohio EPA issues permit for Buckeye Brine
COLUMBUS – On Tuesday, June 25 the Ohio EPA issued final permits-to-operate to Buckeye Brine for two Class I non-hazardous waste injection wells in Coshocton.
The injection wells are only allowed to accept non-hazardous wastes. To prevent drinking water impacts, these wells were designed for injecting wastes at depths far below the lowermost source of drinking water. The agency made changes to strengthen the permits after reviewing public comments received, which include requiring the company to: Conduct seismic monitoring; install additional monitoring wells and conduct evaluations of all received waste to ensure it meets the non-hazardous requirements; and will be safely managed. In addition, Ohio EPA has committed to increasing the oversight and number of inspections of this facility, especially during the first year of operation.
Before issuing the permits as final, Ohio EPA reviewed the company’s application to ensure it would comply with federal and state standards, laws and regulations. The agency also held two public information sessions and hearings about the project, one in October 2018 and the second in April 2019 at Coshocton High School. The agency reviewed and considered public comments received at the meeting and during the public comment period.
The final permits are available online at: http://edocpub.epa.ohio.gov/publicportal/ViewDocument.aspx?docid=1081434. The response to comments document is available on Ohio EPA’s website at http://epa.ohio.gov/Portals/47/citizen/response/BB062119.pdf.
Issuance of final permits can be appealed to the Ohio Environmental Review Appeals Commission(ERAC). Appeals generally must be filed within 30 days of issuing a final action; therefore, anyone considering filing an appeal should contact ERAC at (614) 466-8950 for more information.
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