Ohio’s First Marcellus Shale Wastewater Treatment Plant Now Open for Business

The first Marcellus Shale wastewater treatment plant in Ohio (Trumbull County) is now open for business, with more on the way:

After nearly three years of research to make it happen, officials on Tuesday showed off what will be the first facility in Ohio to treat wastewater generated as part of the Marcellus Shale drilling boom.

City [of Warren] and Patriot Water Treatment officials held a ribbon cutting at the facility located in Warren’s Sferra Industrial Park.

The facility will accept and process wastewater generated from the hydraulic fracturing of Marcellus Shale deposits. After the water is pretreated, it is sent to Warren’s wastewater plant for further filtration.

Due to a decision in Pennsylvania, officials said the city could benefit even further. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ruled that wastewater plants in Western Pennsylvania must stop accepting water from drilling companies because of the levels of chemicals in the surface water near the drilling sites until proper safeguards are put in place. That water now may come to Ohio.

More facilities are planned for Ashtabula, East Liverpool and Steubenville.*

*33-WYTV/ABC (May 10, 2011) – First Ohio Plant to Treat Shale Water Opens in Warren