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Athens County Commissioners Agree To Write Letter In Support Of Water Testing
By: WOUB Staff Writer
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Athens County Commissioners say they will write a letter in support of water testing to track the impact of hydraulic fracturing or fracking.
Fracking is a process of extracting natural gas through deep well drilling.
Sonia Marcus, former Director of Sustainability at Ohio University, spoke to the commissioners today.
She says a group of citizens wants to apply for funding to purchase water testing equipment and she says support from the county government would make applying easier.
"I don't think we have any problem writing that letter," Commissioner Lenny Eliason said.
The other commissioners agreed.
One of the main concerns associated with fracking is the impact on the water quality.
"I think it's an issue that can really bring people together here. It's not about pro or anti fracking. It's about taking common sense steps to make sure that that we're in a position to defend ourselves if we think that contamination has occurred," Marcus said.
She says it is important to have EPA certified data before drilling begins.