Cleanup at Martins Ferry Frack Waste Facility To Finish Today

By JENNIFER COMPSTON-STROUGH

For The Intelligencer

Cleaning and initial testing of the Austin Master Services frack waste processing facility is expected to be completed today.

More than a year ago, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost took legal action to force Austin Master Services to correct "egregious violations of Ohio law" regarding storage of oil and gas waste that he said threatened the Ohio River and Martins Ferry's drinking water supply. Flooding a few weeks later nearly breached the site, prompting additional concerns from resident and local and state officials.

In late March 2024, Yost filed a complaint against the Canonsburg, Pennsylvania-based company in Belmont County Common Pleas Court before Judge John Vavra. The complaint alleged that the company was failing to properly store waste from gas and oil drilling and fracking operations at its facility located at 801 N. First St. in Martins Ferry -- a site that is approximately 500 feet from the Ohio River and about 1,000 feet from the city's drinking water well field.

The allegations were based on inspections on Feb. 7, 2024, that resulted in the initial notices of violations and orders to remove waste from the facility, as well as a follow-up inspection on March 15, 2024, when Ohio Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management staff "observed worsened conditions." The company had terminated the entire staff of the facility, except for its radiation safety officer, who resigned on March 21, 2024.

Since then, a public outcry, efforts by city leaders and court proceedings have resulted in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management stepping in to clean up the facility. That work is scheduled to be largely finished as of today.

"The second phase of the cleanup at Austin Master Services (AMS) in Martins Ferry is almost finished," ODNR spokeswoman Karina Cheung wrote in an email. "All waste has been removed from the facility and the cleaning of the site is nearing completion. Testing is underway to determine if any further remediation at the site is required. The project is on schedule to have the site completely cleaned and initial testing completed by May 28, 2025."

Bids for the cleanup totaled more than $6.6 million. Cheung said ODNR "fully intends to seek reimbursement from Austin Master Services, its parent company and CEO Brad Domitrovitsch."