Radioactive Frack Waste Processing Activity Variations

Marcellus Shale Frack Waste Decreasing with Slow Production

From an Article by Casey Junkins, Wheeling Intelligencer, February 15, 2016

Martins Ferry, OH — About 13 employees now process Marcellus and Utica shale frack waste – some of which contains radioactive uranium, radium and plutonium – for Pottsville, Pa.- based Austin Master Services inside the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. plant in Martins Ferry.

However, that’s down by almost half from the 25 who labored at the facility in the summer, as company CEO Jack Bement said the company is feeling the effects of a slowdown in drilling associated with low oil and natural gas prices.

“Things started to pick up a little, but then fell off because drilling activity is down,” Bement said. “We anticipate the slowdown to last until 2017, but we’re in this for the long-haul.”

Bement said the operation ran constantly without interruption through the summer. Now, it is only in service five days per week for eight hours each day, although truckers can unload their products any time, as long as they give notice.

“We are performing a service by getting rid of the waste that is being created,” Bement said of his firm’s work.

Site and Operations

Wheeling businessmen Quay Mull and Joseph N. Gompers purchased the once-thriving Martins Ferry steel mill for $2 million out of RG Steel’s bankruptcy in 2012. Since then, officials transformed the facility into the 4K Industrial Park.

According to forms sent from Austin to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, as well as ODNR documents and Ohio Department of Health memoranda, the site is authorized to receive, store, process, treat and dispose of fracking waste. Company information states workers onsite are permitted to process up to 100,000 tons of drilling and fracking waste per year. As much as 20,000 tons of material can be stored on site for a period of 30 days.

Information on Austin’s website states the company can blend “low activity technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material” waste. Austin is able to blend this waste with non-radioactive material to make it suitable for disposal in a special Rocky Mountain landfill designed to handle the material.

“They bring us solid waste and liquid waste. We process and recycle – then send the solid waste to a Utah landfill,” Bement said.

Any leftover liquid waste will go to one of the numerous injection wells scattered across the Ohio countryside.

Radioactivity

According to Austin’s permit from the Ohio Department of Health, the company may “receive, acquire, possess and transfer radioactive material … .” The materials specifically listed on the permit are plutonium, uranium and radium.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates plutonium is most dangerous when inhaled. However, Austin officials emphasize any amounts of these materials are quite small, while workers exercise caution when handling such substances.

“This is naturally occurring radioactive material. It is what is already in the shale formations,” Bement said. “The workers wear personal protective clothing for added safety.”

The company shows it plans to keep the waste in containers as much as possible. Workers will stabilize the material with cement dust to reduce the amount of free material in the container.

Future Operations

Bement said his company still has work to keep going at this point. He said the firm believes the slowdown in the Marcellus and Utica boom is nothing more than that – a slowdown, rather than a stoppage. “We’re preparing to ride out the storm,” he said.

Although the company is not hiring workers at this time, Bement said, he said starting pay is “about double minimum wage.” “We provide all training,” he said.

The firm has established a contingency plan in the event of a “100-year flood” to ensure public safety. Workers would move all trucks, tanks and containers to an open area between the facility and Ohio 7 to prevent waste from entering the river during a flood.