What is happening in Perry County:
A multi-part investigation into how companies like Quasar are turning Ohio into the nation’s dumping ground and what it means for your kitchen table.
Sovereignty is the unifying thread that weaves throughout us all. It is the defining characteristic of a people who claim to be self-governing. It is the ability to self-actualize, to work towards and manifest a vision. Throughout the country, those who wish to manifest their own world relocate to rural communities under the auspices of increased sovereignty. Less restrictions in this case translate to greater freedom and a more robust ability to actualize the future you seek. But what happens when that freedom is turned against you? What happens when powers outside our reach muscle their way into our quiet communities, threatening our very livelihoods? What happens when the veil starts to lift and we see just how far down the rabbit hole goes?
In psychology there is a concept, first introduced by Abraham Maslow, known as the hierarchy of needs. Within this concept, a person’s ability to self-actualize and truly work towards abstract dreams is dependent on their most basic needs being met first- namely food, water and shelter.
When residents like Brianna Wrench moved to the rural area of Mount Perry, located in Madison Township, Perry County, she believed her access to water would ever be threatened. Wrench is a properties manager for Mossy Oak, who grew up on Lake Erie with her father, a man who instilled a true love of the outdoors. Her days were spent hiking and enjoying the vast opportunities that nature provides. Like other residents in the area with similar affection towards the land, she never could have imagined the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency would seek to turn the once lush and rich countryside into a sewage dumping ground for surrounding states.
“Everyone is affected by it, I would say 90 percent of people are opposed to it, basically the community in general,” Wrench said.
Earlier this year, a Cleveland-based energy company called Quasar purchased a permit from the Ohio EPA to construct what is referred to as a “Biosolid Lagoon” in Madison Township. In plain English, a biosolid lagoon is where solid sewage waste goes to rest for the remainder of its days. In major cities, waste flushed into the sewer systems is filtered and separated, with the water heading to a treatment facility to get “treated” and recycled back into the drinking supply of the city. The solids are sent to a solid waste facility where they are put into an anerobic digester and heated up to a mild 98 degrees before being sucked out and shipped to large waste pits where it is dumped out into the open air and left to sit. These pits, called “Bio Solid Lagoons,” named as such for the purpose of appealing rhetorics, are often constructed in townships lacking zoning laws specifically forbidding their construction. In the case of Madison Township, the constructed pit is only a few feet in distance from the aquifer that feeds the well systems of every resident in the area. Wrench’s residence is a stone’s throw away from the fecal facility. Should the proposed facility leak at any point, the water supply of the entire township will be completely contaminated.
According to Wrench, the residents of Madison Township were first notified of this proposed construction when an enterprising resident discovered a small, three-line notice in the local notices section of the township paper, making residents aware of an upcoming hearing by the Ohio EPA to field concerns over the proposed construction.
“Nobody in our community knew anything about it,” Wrench said. “Somebody went and looked through all of the back papers and found it. It was a small three or four-line notification section for the public. There were only two weeks until the public hearing at that time that they were required to have, which no one knew anything about. People put in a major effort in trying to get the word out and we had a great turn out with the EPA.”
According to Wrench, the first public hearing hosted nearly 300 concerned residents and featured three hours of testimony from experts concerned over the impact this pit would have on the water supply, town infrastructure and the impact to people’s daily lives. The EPA followed this up with a virtual informational session several weeks later where they attempted to familiarize residents with industry-specific terms and practices. Residents huddled together in local diners sharing laptop screens eagerly awaiting an opportunity to scrutinize the situation that never came. The EPA gave no response to written questions and instead informed the virtual attendees they would provide a written response at a later date. According to Wrench, it was several months after this that the EPA formalized the permit to Quasar, effectively illustrating to the residents, that the EPA was running point on the construction of the lagoon that was a forgone conclusion before the paper changed hands. According to Wrench, inquiries into what would or could be done should the facility leak into the water supply of the town fell on deaf ears. The EPA’s statement to the residents of Madison Township amounted to “we will assist Quasar in bringing the facility up to code should they fail their tests.” As for the what the residents would do should that outcome arise, there was no response. According to Wrench, the town would be forced to truck in water to the homes for as long as they choose to reside.
It should be noted the process of holding the public hearings and comment forums is simply a formality on the part of the EPA. Despite the entire leadership of Madison Township and the residents in direct opposition to this construction, the deal proceeded, illustrating that the power of a few always trumps the will of the many so long as the money is right. The incestuous nature of corporations and their regulating counterparts is often an ongoing point of discussion in politics. More often than not, the regulatory agencies form a revolving door for the companies they seek to keep in check with workers running back and forth between the two. While this is certainly true for the Biosolids industry, Quasar seeks to set itself apart with financial contributions to state legislatures as well. In fiscal year 2022, Quasar has given a total of $23,950 to various state leadership including Shay Hawkins, Bob Peterson, Gilbery Gesiotto, David Joyce, That Cooperrider and John Kennedy. Quasar CEO Mel Kurtz has individually contributed a total of $69,788 to local state and county officials including to Governor Mike Dewine, Ohio secretary of state Frank Larose and attorney general Dave Yost. It is also evident the Quasar does not pick favorites either. A source close to the situation has stated that Ohio governor primary candidate Jim Renacci shared a personal phone call conversation with Mr. Kurtz after concluding his campaign stop in Madison Township earlier this year. It is important to note that Mr. Kurtz, though currently contributing to majority Republican candidates, is more an opportunist than a believer. Previous cycles have seen him donate to democratic candidates such as Betty Sutton and Ted Strickland. He is one of the powerhouses behind Grow Ohio Pharmaceuticals who stands to make a fortune should marijuana become legalized across the state.
Without proper zoning laws specifically prohibiting such structures, all Quasar needed to do was contract the permit from the EPA itself. According to Wrench, companies like Quasar are specifically choosing areas without zoning laws to pursue these “biosolid lagoons” knowing they will not face any true opposition that could thwart their construction. Township trustee Shawn Glenn was one of the first in the community to sound the alarm on the coming calamity and took an active role in standing up for the good of the community. According to Glenn, one of the primary concerns outside of the dwindling property value and risk to the water supply, was the very real danger to the township infrastructure. Many of the roads outlining the township are gravel or are minimally paved, meaning the constant travel of massive tanker trucks hauling in solid wastes to the pit would erode them faster. During a time when everyone is tightening their financial belts, the prospect of raising taxes or pilfering from reserves to cover road construction for a facility no one wants and that could possibly destroy their town is not exactly an attractive prospect.
Local leadership and members of the community have attempted to plea their case with their state representatives and the governor’s office itself, but ultimately found little resolution. Local representative Kevin Miller is attempting to work on legislation that would require a better notification process on the part of the constructing company and the EPA, however it would not require either party obtain permission from local leadership to construct in the first place.
Though it seemed a Sisyphean effort to save their town and stop the construction of a solid waste pit that could lead to the ruination of their roads, pollution of their water supply and destruction of their properties and livelihoods, the residents of Madison Township never backed down. As of this writing, the facility has been constructed. Though it is not currently operational, the potential dangers it poses to the residents, and even to the readers of this article, are ever present.
In the next chapter of this investigation we will dive into the science surrounding the biosolids industry and discuss the potential links between the biosolids lagoon and the food you feed your family.
Be sure to sound off in the comment section and like, share and subscribe for more updates.