Local commissioner wants state to take action on bad odor

WARREN TWP., Ohio (WKBN) — Trumbull County Commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa wants the state to take preventative action.

This comes after people have complained about an odor coming from a Warren Township injection well. Residents off of U.S. Route 422 and in the surrounding communities were concerned about the bad smell.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) says the smell was from routine offloading of fluid that was brought in from a well that was recently plugged. In a statement, ODNR Spokesperson Andy Chow said the following:

“The odor that people are reporting in the area is due to a company in Warren performing a routine offloading of fluid at an injection well. The fluid brought to the injection well that was offloaded was from a recent plugging of a well and sometimes these fluids emit a strong odor. There is no leak occurring at the injection well. The odor should subside as the water is transferred to enclosed tanks. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management will continue to monitor the situation.”

ODNR Spokesperson Andy Chow

Cantalamessa plans to send a letter to ODNR. In it, he’s asking for the state to perform air quality, well, plus soil and water testing in the area.

“If the state is gonna have to regulate and have the oversight over these injection wells, they should provide the funding to these families and businesses to make sure that their water wells are safe, to make sure their air quality is safe,” Cantalamessa said. “It shouldn’t fall on the residents.”

Cantalamessa also plans to ask for records from the last five inspections at the injection well.

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