Report urges tighter water protections for Muskingum watershed

FreshWater Accountability Project has released an expert report calling for stronger monitoring and water-use limits across the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District’s reservoirs and feeder streams. The recommendations come as fracking, data centers and potential carbon sequestration increase pressure on Southeast Ohio water supplies. Why it matters: - The report argues that the Muskingum watershed faces rising pressure from industrial water demand and contamination risks. - Stronger protections could affect water available for recreation, agriculture, drinking water and other users in Southeast Ohio. - The recommendations are aimed not just at Tappan Lake, but at other MWCD reservoirs that have sold or leased water for fracking, including Seneca Lake, Clendening, Piedmont and Leesville. What happened: - FreshWater Accountability Project released an expert report by Downstream Strategies titled, Protecting water resources in Tappan Lake and its watershed; A review of potential impacts and monitoring recommendations for the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District . - FreshWater prepared the report for the MWCD Conservancy Court’s annual meeting on June 12. - FreshWater says it was denied the opportunity to testify and present the report at the meeting. - The report was also commissioned with funding from the Ohio River Valley Participatory Fund, a program of Nonprofit Partners, Inc. The details: - The report says cumulative impacts from unconventional oil and gas extraction, data centers and potential carbon sequestration warrant stronger water protections. - The report recommends continuous monitoring for oil- and gas-related contaminants to detect leaks from injection wells, spills, migration from toxic waste disposal or frack wells. - The report says about 80% of fracking fluids remain underground after production, creating a long-term risk to reservoirs if contaminants migrate over time. - The report calls for stream gage monitoring in smaller streams that feed MWCD reservoirs. - The report recommends a strict water policy that would limit consumptive users if monitoring shows a water body is at risk, especially during drought and warmer weather. - The report says earlier FreshWater reports had already warned MWCD about environmental flow loss and water quality concerns. - FracTracker Alliance has also warned about potential loss of environmental flow in past reports provided to MWCD. - FracTracker’s analysis found MWCD sold 1.8 billion gallons of freshwater from May 2012 through January 2026 for $7.2 million. - That works out to an average price of less than 0.5 cents per gallon. - The report notes MWCD once charged 9 cents per gallon, which FreshWater says remains too low for consumptive uses such as fracking. - FreshWater says MWCD has taxing authority and has made hundreds of millions of dollars from selling water and leasing reservoirs for fracking. - The report says the same protections should help preserve water quality and quantity as Ohio plans more fracking on state lands and in the Wayne National Forest. - The report will also be sent to Ohio legislators and the Ohio EPA. - FreshWater says Ohio EPA should evaluate water availability and commission a Southeast Ohio study before more heavy industrial water use is allowed. Between the lines: - The report frames water not just as a resource issue, but as a policy fight over who gets priority when demand rises. - The warning is broader than fracking alone; data centers and carbon sequestration are emerging as additional industrial users that could intensify stress on the watershed. - The opposition from FreshWater suggests a deeper dispute over whether MWCD is protecting water or monetizing it too aggressively. - Independent experts quoted in the release support the call for caution, but the release also uses strong advocacy language that reflects the group’s position rather than neutral consensus. What’s next: - FreshWater and Downstream Strategies will continue pushing the report’s recommendations to MWCD, state lawmakers and the Ohio EPA. - The group hopes the district will adopt stronger monitoring and water-use limits before additional industrial demand expands. - FreshWater says residents need assurances that clean water will remain available as fracking and other industrial uses continue to grow.