Buckeye Environmental Network (BEN) Appalachian Community Organizer Bev Reed addresses Martins Ferry Council on Wednesday. Reed expressed concerns related to the former Austin Master Services site. (Photo by Stephanie Elverd)

MARTINS FERRY — Despite assurances from the Ohio Division of Natural Resources that remediation is complete at the former Austin Master Services facility inside the 4K Industrial Park, environmental advocates say questions remain about lingering contamination and long-term risks to public health and the environment.

Members of the Buckeye Environmental Network (BEN) – a grassroots environmental advocacy group – raised those concerns during a Martins Ferry City Council meeting Wednesday, pointing to the site’s history of radioactive oil and gas waste storage and its proximity to the city’s drinking water well field.

“Martins Ferry has ended up being home to one of the most expensive environmental civil penalty cases in state history,” said Bev Reed, Appalachian community organizer for the group. “Some serious questions remain, particularly now that the building sits empty and state officials say power washing was sufficient to address the contamination.”

Reed outlined a timeline of community concerns that date back to early 2021, when residents first became aware of operations at Austin Master Services, located along First Street near the city’s drinking water source. According to Reed, conditions inside the facility were repeatedly cited as problematic, with multiple violations of its operating permit over the course of several years.

She said the building suffered from a leaking roof that state regulators allowed to persist for years before repairs were made, and that workers were observed cleaning waste from parking lots and public roadways using heavy equipment. Residents, Reed said, spent nearly two years educating the public and pushing for stronger oversight, often facing resistance and what they viewed as state agencies downplaying the risks.

BEN also warned early on that the volatile nature of the oil and gas industry could leave the community vulnerable. Reed said residents feared the company would maximize profits, abandon the site and leave taxpayers responsible for cleanup — a scenario she said mirrored what had previously occurred at the former steel mill that once occupied the property.

Those concerns intensified in March 2024 when the Ohio Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Austin Master Services, alleging the company deliberately stockpiled excessive amounts of waste to increase profits. Weeks later, flooding along the Ohio River brought water to the facility’s doors, compounding fears of environmental contamination.

Austin Master Services – a Pennsylvania-based oilfield waste company – processed and stored waste from oil and gas drilling operations, including hydraulic fracturing byproducts that can contain naturally occurring radioactive materials such as radium. State records show the company was permitted to store no more than 600 tons of material but accumulated more than 10,000 tons at the site.

In January, Belmont County Common Pleas Court Judge John Vavra ordered the company to pay more than $34 million in penalties and fees related to cleanup and regulatory violations.

ODNR announced in April that cleanup efforts were underway and later stated that all oil and gas waste and debris had been removed. The remediation, which cost more than $6 million, involved power washing by a third-party contractor and confirmatory sampling. ODNR Press Secretary Karina Cheung said the cleanup was completed last month and that “all oil and gas waste at the site has been eradicated and the site is clean.”

While the state’s role in the cleanup has concluded, federal oversight is continuing. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 5 office said it plans to conduct its own investigation now that ODNR’s remediation is complete, to determine whether the property qualifies as a Superfund or Brownfield site. Sampling is expected to begin in the spring of 2026.

Reed said residents petitioned the EPA in 2022 to investigate the site as part of the Superfund program and to address additional contaminants, including hexavalent chromium linked to both Austin Master operations and the former steel mill. She said the federal investigation is a multiyear process that would not have occurred without sustained community advocacy.

Despite the pending EPA investigation, the 4K Industrial facility is currently being marketed to prospective commercial tenants.

“The 4K Industrial facility is being advertised for rent,” Reed said. “What is Martins Ferry doing to ensure the building is safe for future businesses and that no activities will threaten public health or the environment in the future?”

That question was one of many that Reed submitted to the city officials on Wednesday requesting written responses. Other questions addressed whether the city has obtained inspection and sampling reports from ODNR, how officials are coordinating with the EPA investigation, and what steps are being taken to monitor and protect the city’s drinking water supply. Reed also cited elevated readings of radium-226 and radium-228 – naturally occurring radioactive isotopes formed through the decay of uranium and thorium in rocks and soil – found in parts of the facility and asked whether additional remediation or independent testing would be conducted.

Additional concerns included the building’s structural condition, fire safety risks, reports of a flooded basement requiring large-scale water disposal in the past and how those issues factor into the city’s source-water protection plan.

Members of Martins Ferry City Council said they were under the impression the site had been fully cleaned and remediated based on information provided by the Ohio Division of Natural Resources.

“Are you saying there is a threat of contamination right now?” Councilman Gus Harris asked during the meeting. “I thought they cleaned that up.”

Martin Ferry Services Director Andy Sutak said he has not received any communication regarding the status of the cleanup or any additional testing from federal or state EPA. He also said he was unaware of what, if any, environmental testing was conducted at the property when the former RG Steel facility ceased operations.