DEAR EDITOR:
This letter is in response to a letter that was printed in the Tribune on April 8, 2012, entitled ''Is paradise lost due to drilling?''
I, too, live in Greene Township on the same road as Mr. Kalas and I still believe that it is paradise. We still have birds soaring, deer feeding in our yard, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and all sorts of other critters that we see on a daily basis.
The State of Ohio has the power to override any local government's zoning laws and will issue permits for wells. The State of Ohio also has strict guidelines as to what can be disposed of in these wells. The well in question will be a Class II well and only BRINE can be put into it. Brine is no more than salt water, so this will not be a toxic garbage dump.
As far as your privacy goes, you will be bothered more by the four wheelers that run up and down our road than this well. You live at the far end of the road with trees, fields and two other homes between you and the well.
The proposed injection well is not going to destroy this area. I attended the same meeting as you did about this well, and had you listened, you would have heard the owner of the well describe in great detail how they are going to protect everything that we hold near and dear to us.
During the drilling there will be a dike placed around the entire drilling area to prevent anything from washing or spilling into the creek. The cementing process that is going to be used is above what the state requires, and it will seal off the water zones, protecting them from any harm during this process.
The storage tanks are going to be located in a concrete dike as well as the unloading area so none of the brine will be lost. The pumps and controls will be housed in a sound-deadening building so as to reduce the noise level to a very small hum.
The additional truck traffic will hardly even be noticed since they won't be on our road at all. All that traffic will be between state Route 11 and the well site on state Route 87. You will probably hear and see more noise and traffic from the farmers in the fields around you.
The entire facility will be fenced in and trees are going to be replaced once all the construction is done. Also, don't forget that this facility will only operate during daylight hours, Monday through Friday, unless there is an emergency.
Our land butts right up against where this well is going to be drilled and I am satisfied that every precaution is going to be taken to protect our land and water from any harm from this well and its intended use. Yes, while the well is being drilled it will be quite noisy at our end of the road, but that will only be for a week to 10 days.
Lastly, if you are concerned about the integrity of the people who are shaping and helping to govern our PARADISE, all of the township meetings are open to the public. You are more than welcome to attend and voice your opinions and concerns where it will do more good than by posting them in the newspaper.
Rae Lytle
Greene Township