Duck Creek Energy
Duck Creek Energy and Nature's Own Source are deicer and oil industry companies in Brecksville, Ohio owned by David Mansberry.[1][2]
AquaSalina
Nature's Own Source produces AquaSalina, a salt deicer made from produced water (or brine) at Duck Creek's vertical oil and gas wells. The company has called this wastewater "ancient seawater".[3] It is then filtered in Cleveland, Ohio and Mogadore, Ohio.[3][4]
Fracking water lawsuit
Duck Creek Energy won a defamation lawsuit in 2013 against two individuals who said AquaSalina was "frac waste" or "fracking water". AquaSalina's source is vertical oil and gas wells, not fracking wells. They were allowed to continue describing it as "toxic". The ruling made a distinction stating AquaSalina "is" versus "contains" fracking water.[5][6]
References
- ^ "Our People". Duck Creek Energy.
- ^ "Company". Nature's Own Source.
- ^ a b Kuzydym, Duane Pohlman & Stephanie. "Serious questions about radioactive element in highway de-icer". WKRC. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) tested AquaSalina for radioactivity and, in June and July of 2017, issued reports finding, on average, AquaSalina contains radium levels at 300 times higher than the federal standard for safe drinking water.
- ^ McCarty, James F. (10 February 2019). "Radioactive road deicer rules under review by Ohio legislature; debate over public safety continues". The Plain Dealer.
Members of the state legislature rejected the reports' findings, introducing a law last year that would ease regulations on AquaSalina, treating it as a commodity rather than toxic waste derived from oil- and gas-drilling operations. The law would also prevent ODNR from imposing any additional requirements.
- ^ Shingler, Dan (1 December 2013). "Calling a deicer 'toxic' leads to heated exchanges". Crain's Cleveland Business.
The court cited the difference, saying the product 'contains' fracking water as opposed to saying it 'is' fracking water. Statements the women made that AquaSalina is "toxic" or that it contains harmful levels of benzene also did not result in a judgment against them, in part because the court said those were matters of opinion. But the court did rule that the women were wrong to tell others that AquaSalina is fracking water, and that they made statements they knew or should have known were false. It found the women sent emails and that 'statements that AquaSalina is "frac water" or a by-product thereof were published with actual malice.'
- ^ "Brecksville-based energy company wins defamation lawsuit". Akron Beacon Journal. November 11, 2013. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
Duck Creek Energy, based in Brecksville, Ohio, created AquaSalina(TM) in 2003 and received approval for its use as a deicer and dust suppressant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 2004.
External links
- Nature's Own Source website
- Duck Creek Energy website