WARREN - A small group of opponents to hydraulic fracturing and injection wells in Trumbull County took their concerns over a recent brine water spill in Fowler to county commissioners Wednesday.
Meanwhile, county Engineer Randy Smith at the same midweek meeting said he wants to make sure if there is another incident like the one in Fowler, ''it is handled appropriately and addressed thereafter,'' issues he plans to address in a conference call today with the state.
Smith said the meeting today with either the Ohio Department of Natural Resources or Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will be used to talk about their response teams, ''how they work, how they function in regard to this type of scenario'' and regulations on out-of-state drilling waste on county roads.
Drilling companies operating in Trumbull County fall under standards to protect county roads and bridges, but out-of-state or out-of-county haulers of waste generated from drilling don't fall under those regulations.
Smith said he wants to know, ''Is there anything that can be done?''
Other counties officials are expected to attend the call, too.
At the meeting, three people spoke up about the July 7 spill.
John Williams of Niles suggested property owners along the path of the spill have their water tested now to determine a baseline rather than wait. He also said the tests need to done to determine exactly what chemicals are in the material.
''We need to test this, the county needs to know what that was,'' he said.
Evidence of the brine water that found at the site, which began on Warner Road and went to state Route 305, extended for five miles, Smith said.
It's estimated the amount of brine that spilled was between 100 and 150, not a ''significant spill,'' according to an OEPA spokesman. Ph tests of the material showed a level of about 6.5, ''which is considered neutral,'' the spokesman said.
Susie Beiersdorfer of Youngstown said she wants definitive answers, given varying media accounts of the amount of the spill.
''I just would like to get a handle on what happened,'' she said.