ODOT will no longer use controversial road deicer

Use of a controversial road deicer has been halted by the Ohio Department of Transportation, the agency announced Wednesday. ODOT did not cite concerns put forth related to radiation levels in Brecksville-made AquaSalina, a deicer derived from waste material in oil and gas wells. The topic has drawn the ire of numerous environmental groups including the Ohio Community Rights Network, which has members in Medina County. In early 2020, the city of Medina elected to stop use of AquaSalina after local members of the network raised concerns to officials. Medina city officials said at that time they contacted ODOT to pass along concerns from residents. In June, the Ohio Community Rights Network sent a letter to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and nine attorneys, including Medina County Prosecutor Forrest Thompson, calling for an investigation into AquaSalina and its effects on Ohio drinking watersheds. Environmental groups allege that radiation from the oil and gas drilling "brine" is poisoning those water sources. "They're finding very high concentrations of this terrible stuff," said Bill Lyons, president of the Ohio Community Community Rights Network, on Thursday. "Right now, when it's used you have to pay a fee to ODNR and tell people where you're going to be spreading it and how much. There's some reporting left on it, but it's hard to get that information sometimes." "They're trying to remove that reporting and make (AquaSalina) a product just like it's buying rock salt or any other deicer off the shelf," he said. "It doesn't say anything about all the hazardous stuff and that it's radioactive. Any business that would use it wouldn't have to report anything about it. People would be able to spread it on their driveways and poison their pets, their children and themselves." The Ohio Department of Natural Resources conducted a series of tests on AquaSalina in 2017. In one instance, results showed the product containing 9,602 picocuries per liter made up of radium-228 and radium-226, which far exceeds Ohio's legal limit of 0.0005 picocuries for such materials allowed to be dumped at landfills. Studies conducted by Penn State University, Duquesne University and the National Resources Defense Council have had similar outcomes. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, radium-228 and radium-226 are known to lead to liver, bone and breast cancer at high enough doses. Lyons was referring to Ohio House Bill 282 and Senate Bill 171, which are currently in committee status with both measures aiming to open up the sale of AquaSalina to the general public, classify the material as a commodity, and roll back several regulations put in place after that 2017 study. Medina County Commissioner Steve Hambley said AquaSalina is not currently used in road deicing work conducted at the county level and that he voted against efforts to do away with post-2017 regulations on the product while serving in Columbus as Ohio's District 69 representative. "When I looked at the evidence and listened to the testimony, talked to a number of individuals and looked at the studies, lessening the testing requirements was not a good idea," he said. "That's what they're trying to do, in the legislation. I have great concerns over the residual effect over a period of time and, absolutely, the variability between site to site and well to well. "Honestly, there should be a higher level of evaluation and scrutiny, not less. It's using a waste product for commercial purposes. I fall into the category of being very skeptical of using it on our roads. The county is not using it to my knowledge, by that I mean the county highway department." While ODOT did not respond to a request for comment, ODNR stated by email it had not taken a position on HB 282. However, a June letter written by ODNR Director Mary Mertz to members of the Statehouse specifically addressed HB 282 and SB 171. Concerns raised included elimination of requirements to notify county commissioners when spreading brine that's been deemed a commodity. "I think that validates a lot of concern," Hambley said upon learning of that letter. "You're going to have all this stuff in your waterway and not even know it." Mertz also stated that the bills would "eliminate all regulatory authority over oilfield wastes that would be classified as a 'commodity,' including tracking and safety protections." A hypothetical scenario was also floated in the letter, one in which a church hires a contractor to spread AquaSalina or a similar product on its parking lot. "The contractor overspreads the commodity because the contractor charges by the gallon and there are no requirements," she wrote. "The overspreading causes offsite impact to private water wells. The impacted well owner calls the ODNR Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management regarding brine impact to their water well. The Division investigates nearby oil and gas wells and tank batteries to identify the source of brine contamination but cannot find a source. "The source may never be found due to the loss of regulations that would require the spreader to report annually the locationswhere it was spread and the volumes. Additionally, the 10 safety standards that are stripped in this legislation would have limited the spreading volumes to those that would not cause offsite impacts." Mertz closed her letter by stating that "HB 282/SB 171 does not ensure the protection of public health and safety or the environment." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.