Now, several Ohio communities are taking steps to protect water supplies before drilling begins.

For the past 42 years, Fran Teresi has seen the old oil derricks that dot the country landscape in her tiny hometown of Garrettsville in Portage County. Teresi never gave too much thought about whether those old wells could harm her drinking water.

But publicity about the recent boom in horizontal drilling for natural gas – especially regarding potential hazards – has caught her attention.

There’s a lot of concern about surface spills with the chemicals that are being used, pipe casing that might leak, cement failures.

As a member of the village’s board of public affairs, Teresi is charged with overseeing the local water and sewage treatment plant. With horizontal drilling ramping up in townships right next door, she and other local officials decided to set up a program to monitor Garrettsville’s water supply just in case.

“What we’re trying to do is establish baseline water quality, what is normal right now for our area, and then if things change after the big drilling companies come in, we will at least have baseline data to compare it to,” Teresi says.

Teresi says they sought the advice of her local health department, and hired an environmental consulting group to figure out how to get started with the testing. She says they turned to the state for help, but didn’t find much.

“There aren’t any grants out there, and there weren’t any guidelines as to how a village would set up a water monitoring program, so basically we started in the dark and felt our way along.”

Teresi and the village of Garrettsville aren’t the only ones feeling their way in the dark. Communities in Carroll, Athens, and Mahoning County are also taking steps to set up programs to protect their water before drilling comes to their backyards.

Ted Auch is a researcher with FracTracker, an environmental advocacy group that that collects data on the shale industry. Auch says many Ohioans are frustrated that the state hasn’t set aside funding or developed any preventative programs to protect local water supplies before drilling begins.

So the communities have said fine, well, we’re going to do this, we’re going to take matters into our own hands.

The Ohio EPA does require that public water systems measure their water quality on a semi-regular basis, but most of that is for bacteria and chemicals commonly used in agriculture and industrial processes.

Auch says he’d like to see the state offer more to help communities to test their water for problems related to DRILLING, including guidance on what chemicals to test for, and how frequently.

“It would be nice for the state to at least set up some sort of protocol for seasonal collection tests, you know, when in each season you should collect, what kind of methodology you should use to collect water samples, to set up some strict protocol that can be standardized across Ohio,” Auch says.

But Michael Baker, head of the EPA’s division of groundwater, takes a different view.

He says his agency does provide a fact sheet outlining different levels of testing communities can do. But he says the kind of proactive testing Auch is talking about probably isn’t necessary.

We’re not out there necessarily recommending that they go out and do baseline sampling because in most cases, public water systems have a pretty good handle on what their baseline water quality conditions are.

Baker adds that the EPA will increase their monitoring and intervene if there ever is a problem.

That doesn’t satisfy Garrettsville resident Fran Teresi. She says if anything ever were to happen to Garrettsville’s water, the board of public affairs would have to foot the bill—and the legwork—of finding a new water supply.

In the industry, that is the solution. In a little village, that is the problem.

“How you handle something that huge that’s going to cost billions of dollars really shakes a board of trustees to the core, and that was another reason we decided to set up the water monitoring program.”

Whether natural gas drilling really poses a serious threat to groundwater is still an unanswered question. The federal EPA has previously stated there haven’t been any documented cases of contamination, but it says research currently underway should yield more definitive results.

Its final report is expected in 2014.

That means at least one local family is treading water as it decides what to do long-term.

Leatra Harper has been boating on Seneca Lake for almost a decade. Boats alternately splash, weave and tear along the sparkling water of the man-made lake, off of I-70 between Columbus and Wheeling.

It’s ringed with camp sites, vacation bungalows and a small marina. The Harpers like it so much, they moved here from Toledo and had planned to retire here.

“Anybody that knows me, knows that I’m a water person. We thrive on it. We feel very connected to it. I just feel like it’s alive. I feel like every drop of water is a part of us,” Leatra says.

But in recent weeks, the Harpers told their contractor to stop improvements to their small cottage.

That followed the news that the Muskingum Watershed would be selling water from nearby Clendening Lake to Gulfport Energy for a process of oil and gas drilling called fracking. And that made them re-think whether this was the place to spend the rest of their lives.

“What about the value of the recreation here?,” wonder Leatra Harper. “I really think the MWCD really needs to look at that more closely. They’re talking about the need to serve the industry. What about THIS industry. This is not something you can just create.”

Fracking mixes up to 5 million gallons of water with small amounts of chemicals. The frack water breaks up shale deep underground to release natural gas and oil.

A report from the Ohio Shale Coalition earlier this year projected nearly $5 billion in investment from the gas and oil industry by 2014, along with 65,000 jobs.

The report, put together by scientists and economists at Cleveland State and Ohio State, also projects almost a doubling of growth in the state’s gross product.

But Leatra’s husband, Steve, is more concerned about the water being pumped underground. He spent his career working in metals and chemical engineering, and says once the water is down there, it’s down there for good.

“As I understand it, with these injection wells, that’s the reason they take the frack water, and just deposit it in the depths of the earth. So, to me, it’s not recoverable. And that’s very unusual for an industry to be able to have that as an option, as opposed to cleaning the water as other industries have to.

“The steel operation I was with in Chicago, the water we extracted out of the Calumet River had to be put back not only AS clean, but the same temperature as at extraction… we had to maintain the environment.”

Some companies, like Devon Energy in Texas, are working on complex methods to purify fracking waste water. If it works properly, it goes in looking like sludge, travels through filters and evaporators and distillers, and comes out looking like tap water.

And the company can then use that same water for fracking again instead of buying more.

The Muskingum district is the largest in Ohio, encompassing bodies of water that make up one-fifth of the entire state—excluding Lake Erie.

It announced back in April that it was selling as much as 11 million gallons of water from Clendening to Gulfport.

That original deal ends in the next few days, and watershed spokesman Darrin Lautenschleger says it involved less than one percent of the lake’s water.

But in Gulfport’s wake, a dozen other companies asked for water from Seneca and other lakes, and that’s the reason the district wants to revise its water-sale policy.

“It’s the right time to kind of slow the process down, make sure that we have all of the available and necessary information to make informed and effective decisions,” Lautenschleger says.

“And allow the public to be part of that process, as with all of our operations, so they can get a full grasp of what information’s available, what the concerns are. [It will] allow us to interact with the public and environmental groups on what their concerns are. Then develop the proper policies, and changes in policies, that may be needed.”

Both the Muskingum Water Conservancy District and Leatra Harper’s group, the Southeast Ohio Alliance to Save Our Water, are eagerly awaiting a study from the U.S. Geological Survey of the impact of removing water from Muskingum’s reservoirs.

The survey is due later this year, and in the meantime, the Harpers are contacting the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and other state and federal agencies to get answers about fracking’s environmental impact.

They’re also reaching out to anti-fracking groups in Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

They say spring storms wash manure, fertilizers and sewage into waterways, providing the phosphorus that feeds the algae. This year, those storms have been less frequent.

University of Toledo algae researcher Thomas Bridgeman said stream-flow data suggest the algae bloom on Lake Erie this year will be smaller and thinner. He says there’s still likely a “sizable amount” of harmful algae on the bottom of the lake that could be easily stirred up and grow.

Massive algae blooms can be a deadly threat to fish and a turn-off for tourists.

U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frost will decide Friday if he approves the settlement agreed to by the city of Columbus, Franklin County and Penn National Gaming. If Judge Frost gives the OK, Penn National has to meet several contingencies by the first week in July. One, it must sell the original casino site for $11 million.

“That sale would have to be closed by July 5, although I believe there’s a provision in the settlement as approved by council and the county commission that would allow Penn National to seek an extension of about ten days,” said Penn National spokesman Bob Tenenbaum.

Tenenbaum said the Arena District property has a potential buyer, but he declined to give details.

Another stipulation, Penn National and the Dispatch Printing Company must each drop their lawsuits. Penn National counter sued the printing company after it filed suit to force them to annex.

Tenenbaum said the two parties are negotiating.

“This is about getting the project moving so that all of these jobs can be created,” Tenenbaum said.

Columbus City Council approved the annexation agreement Monday night and Franklin County Commissioners also voted unanimously to approve the deal.

Commissioner chair Marilyn Brown said she’s relieved the $400 million project will proceed.

“Everybody’s relieved that this is done and jobs will get going and certainly the construction industry is very relieved they can get moving,” Brown said.

Under the agreement, the city will provide water and sewer service to the casino site on West Broad Street. As a result of the annexation the city will garner millions of additional tax revenue each year.

The development is expected to create about 5,000 construction and permanent jobs. The casino is slated to open late next year.

Columbus City Council and Franklin County Commissioners face a June 10 deadline to approve the west side casino annexation deal.

Columbus City Council President Andrew Ginther was not available for comment but spokesman John Ivanic said the likelihood of passage is good.

“We do look forward to the economic development of the West Side casino site moving forward,” Ivanic said.

Franklin County Commissioner chair Marilyn Brown also declined comment, saying she had not been briefed on the agreement.

The agreement ends months of acrimony between the city and casino developer Penn National. Penn National will annex the property into the city. The city will extend water and sewer service to the site and pay the developer $15 million dollars for road improvements and site clean-up.

City Attorney Rick Pfeiffer helped negotiate the agreement. During an appearance on All Sides with Ann Fisher, Pfeiffer said the threat of a court defeat pushed the talks to a conclusion.

“When the city is looking at the possibility of losing a guaranteed future cash stream at a minimum of $10 million a year, losing that, and being told by the judge not only will you lose that but you gotta give these guys sewer and water, that causes you to have a pause and think about what you want to do,” Pfeiffer said.

As part of the agreement, the Arena District site will be sold for no less than $11 million dollars – a third what the company paid for it. Penn National said it will eat the cost.

But City Attorney Pfeiffer argued Penn National will nearly break even.

“If in fact there are parties that can reach an agreeable sale of that property and that’s out of our control, that’s out of the city’s control, and let’s assume it’s in the $11 million area, and you put that to the $15 million, you’ve got $26 million. So to a degree Penn is saying we’re willing to take a loss, but not a complete loss,” Pfeiffer said.

As part of the agreement, all parties – the city, the county and Penn National – have agreed to drop their lawsuits. But two other suits remain.

Dispatch Printing has sued Penn National in an effort to get them to annex. Penn National filed a counter-suit claiming interference. Neither suit has been dropped.

Dispatch Printing attorneys did not return WOSU’s calls, but one told a Dispatch reporter the suit will be dropped once Penn National annexes.

And Dispatch Printing bought a vacant lot next to the site to give it standing as a neighbor in zoning disputes. It’s unknown if Dispatch Printing will fight a zoning certificate.

If there are no other disputes, all the suits are dropped and no further challenges, Penn National hopes to open its Columbus late next year.

Water is pouring across the top of the dam at Hoover Reservoir in northeast Franklin County. The dam holds back 21 billion gallons of water; it’s one of three reservoirs that supply Columbus and 20 suburbs. Because of recent heavy rainfall, all three reservoirs are at maximum capacity.

“I know everyone is tired of the rain but in terms of water supply it is a good thing. We are in good shape for the high demand summer season with our reservoirs being full – all three of them – Griggs, O’Shaughnessy and Hoover.” That’s Laura Young Mohr, spokeswoman for the Columbus Department of Public Utilities. How long the water lasts, Mohr says, depends upon future weather conditions.

“It depends upon the kind of weather we get for the rest of the year and it also depends upon the demand and how much and there’s a relationship between the two in terms of a long hot dry summer – which I’m sure sounds very good right now – that would cause more usage in terms of lawn watering. I would say that conservation is still important because things can change rather quickly, you know, over a period of months,” Mohr says.

Mohr says the city pumps 140 million gallons of water every day. That’s the amount needed to supply water to 1.1 million customers.

Meanwhile Ohio’s river levels are extremely high and the water is fast-moving. Along what’s known as the Kokosing River Water Trail in Knox County, the water is moving at a rate of 2,000 cubic feet per second. That’s much too fast for canoeing and kayaking says Kim Marshall of the Knox County Park District.

“River levels right now are quite high in fact we would advise folks not to get on the river at this time until water levels come down to about 300 cubic feet per second,” Marshall says.

That does not stop whitewater boaters from dreaming about wild rivers. Andy Graham is the owner of the Outdoor Source group of stores and is an avid kayaker. He says the rains are good for his sport.

“As a whitewater boater you pray for rain because that guarantees you more whitewater,” Graham says.

Q: Does it add some exhilaration to the sport?

“It can, depending on the river. Most of our rivers are pretty flat,” Graham says. “There are a few sections of rivers in our area that have some whitewater that when it comes up like this that you have the ability to paddle whitewater.”

That ability might be around for a few weeks longer. The National Weather Service says central Ohioans should expect above normal precipitation for the next 30 days.

A chance thunderstorms did not prevent some politicians and supporters of a West Side casino from attending its official ground breaking.

There was a shared theme among speakers.

“Rebirth…redevelopment…rebuild…restore the West Side.”

Many had a memory to share about the once-vibrant West Side. And all were excited about the possibilities of what a Hollywood casino might bring to the struggling community, including a projected $63 million in annual tax revenue.

Joanne Fulford, who lives on the East Side, wants to gamble. But she said a casino also could bring her some additional revenue. She has a stand a nearby flea market.

“I do think it will work because they’ll start bringing buses in. You know, a lot of people, they like to go to different stores and they revitalize Westland Mall and the flea market and all the areas around. And that’ll just benefit everybody on the West Side,” she said.

“It’s been a long time and a difficult time getting to where we are, and I’m anxious to get shovels in the ground and get this project rolling,” Tim Guyton, who chairs the Franklin Township board of trustees, said. Guyton said the casino will mean a lot for the city’s West Side.

“We’ll be looking at thousands of construction jobs followed by 2,000 permanent employees coming to work right on this site. This means new residents for the area and new customers for our businesses.”

Like Guyton said, though, the $400 million project has faced roadblocks.

First, it won a ballot initiative to move from its original Arena District site after public outcry over the location. Now it’s caught up in a battle for water and sewer rights. The City of Columbus has denied the services until the casino is annexed into the city. Penn National, which agreed to move from the Arena District to the West Side, says it wants its tax breaks first – and it’s suing the city and Franklin County.

Despite the apparent impasse, Penn National President Tim Wilmott said they’re moving forward.

“We wanted to get this project started. We wanted to get the jobs started here and we want to proceed going ahead. We’ll resolve the issues with the city and the courts or however. But it was important for us to get this project started and fulfill our commitments to Central Ohio,” Wilmott said.

Wilmott added the ceremony did not have an ulterior motive. “This is not at all to put pressure on the city or the county. It isn’t. It’s really about getting started for the West Side,” Wilmott said. When Penn National announced it was moving to the West Side, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and Wilmott gave each other a man hug. A year later, Mayor Coleman was nowhere in sight.

“No, the mayor does not typically attend groundbreakings that are not in the City of Columbus,” Coleman spokesman Dan Williamson said.

The mayor, though, was not invited…casino representatives say they felt it would have been uncomfortable for both parties.

Williamson has said in the past the city supports a casino. And Williamson continues to say Penn National should keep its promise to annex.

“They can have water and sewer as soon as they annex. Obviously we wouldn’t give them water and sewer services to them if they did not annex, that doesn’t make sense,” he said.

Penn National President Tim Wilmott does not seem discouraged by the water/sewer fight. He said they won’t need it until a certificate of occupancy is issued near the end of construction.

“So we have about 18 months to work this out.”

The casino is expected to open sometime in late 2012.

Franklin County Commissioners authorized an agreement with the City of Columbus that would change the county’s sewer service in Franklin Township.

The resolution would transfer the responsibility of sewer service delivery to the old Delphi plant site from the county to the city – the site where a new casino is being built.

While the resolution provides clean water to 23 neighborhoods that have, for years, been plagued with unsafe water issues, it also comes at a time when the City of Columbus is fighting with West Side casino developer Penn National Gaming over water and annexation.

Franklin County Commissioner John O’Grady said he knew there have been disagreements between Columbus and Penn National. And he said commissioners support the city.

“Penn agreed to annexation way back when. Annexation is an important piece of this deal. So there’s no question that we knew this was there, but we also when asked to make this change, we also said, hey, this is an opportunity,’” he said. Penn National agreed it would annex the site to Columbus by September. In exchange, the company wanted the city to consider tax breaks and other help. Penn National also is having the site tested to see if water wells would be feasible. Penn National spokesperson Bob Tennenbaum said the company was bullied by the city to move from the Arena District to its current location. And said he does not fault county commissioners.

“The commissioners did what the city wanted them to do. This water contract that they discussed this morning does have benefits for numerous neighborhoods in the county,” Tennenbaum.

Tennenbaum said Penn National will continue annexation talks with the city. But now that Columbus has control over the sewer lines to the casino site, it all but forces the casino developer to get sewer service from the city.

Environmentalists are finding that farm runoff is the biggest reason the algae bloomed in some waterways. Colder temperatures will eliminate the algae this winter. But there’s still the threat that next summer the algae will be back. Today, an official from the U.S. Department of Agriculture talked with Columbus-area land users about ways they can balance food production with environmental protection.

A USDA Deputy Under Secretary, Ann Mills, says regulating manure and pesticide runoff is not within the government agency’s jurisdiction. She says the USDA will provide an incentive for farmers to be their own environmentalists. “We find that conservation practices help reduce their input costs and also increase their yields, and that’s a really important element of incentive-izing farmers to undertake these practices,” Mills says. Mills says sustainable agriculture is what will keep production high, while also balancing the economies of other industries that rely on clean habitats and clean water. “As we look in the long-term, we really have to have a healthy eco-system for farmers to continue to thrive, and certainly to provide the clean air, the clean water and the other benefits,” Mills says. Mills says these conservation plans are in line with the Obama Administration’s Great Outdoors initiative. It’s a national effort to preserve America’s outdoor spaces. Jen Monroe, WOSU News.

“And the real worry is that, as consumers reject this, that schools become a dumping ground – where, you know, kids don’t have a choice. So there are fewer places that farmers who use rBGH can actually sell their milk, and the worry is that it goes to places like schools where there isn’t much choice,” says Beauchamp. Beauchamp says the language Food and Water Watch wants in the Child Nutrition Act would allow rBGH milk if the cost to school districts was prohibitive. But Beach-um says there is almost no price difference between milk artificial hormones and milk without it. Dairy Farmers oppose the legislation. Ohio Dairy Producers Association spokeswoman Jenny Hubble maintains the hormones are safe – the FDA has approved its use. Hubble says the proposed change would hurt farmers who choose to use rGBH. “Pursuing recommendations by Food and Water Watch would be costly and burdensome for schools and yield no benefits to students,” says Hubble.

And Hubble argues that even milk labeled as hormone-free contains small amounts of naturally occurring hormones.