Addison Township officials are requesting that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conduct a public hearing following a recent proposal to issue a Class II injection well permit to a Canada-based company, Energex Petroleum, Inc.

If approved, the company would be permitted to inject a gas mixture, containing carbon dioxide (CO2) as a component, into underground rock formations through a currently existing production well, known as the Lanphar 1-12 Well, in a process known as enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

The site is located within the township near Leonard and Dequindre Roads.

Although the injection site would be located on private property, it would be in close proximity to township-owned and residential areas, which township officials worry could put local water wells at risk.

“(If Energex starts) pumping down into the ground, they have to understand that all of our people (in Addison Township) are on (water) wells. We don’t have a city water system,” said Supervisor Bruce Pearson at a May 15 meeting. “This is a recipe that could be for disaster, as far as I’m concerned.”

On May 15, Township Attorney Robert Davis sent a letter to the EPA’s water division requesting a public hearing.

The letter was dated two days prior to the May 17 deadline for public comments.

The letter noted officials’ concerns about potential negative impacts to drinking water aquifers and concerns that the posted bond would not be sufficient to cover potential damages to residential wells.

According to the permit application, a state bond in the amount of $250,801 has been posted, in accordance with EPA regulations.

Although the decision to move forward in the final approval ultimately lies with the EPA and the State of Michigan, Pearson said it is important for Addison Township officials and residents to voice their concerns.

“I understand that the state does control the natural resources… I know I can’t stop it and I can only bring up issues to them. My issue is that… if we do have a disaster, like in Flint, (the posted bond) won’t be enough … We’ve sent our letter of objection to them. We can’t stop it, but we can certainly put some controls into it,” Pearson told this reporter.

The township has not yet received a response on whether the EPA will fulfill the township’s request to hold a public hearing, according to Clerk Pauline Bennett.

According to the EPA’s website, EOR occurs when fluids consisting of brine, freshwater, steam, polymers, or CO2 gas are injected into rock and other oil-bearing formations to recover residual oil and natural gas in limited applications. The injected fluids thin and displace small amounts of extractable oil and gas, making it easier to recover.

This process can produce anywhere from 30 to 60 percent of the reservoir’s original oil, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The EPA’s website also noted that this process can produce large amounts of brine, which can contain toxic metals and radioactive substances, which could cause damage to the environment and public health if discharged to water or land.

According to an EPA spokesperson, the agency considers several factors before making a decision about an injection application, in order to avoid water contamination.

These factors include the location and depth of underground sources of drinking water, the suitability of the underground geology for injection, the construction of the well, the fluid or gas proposed for injection, and the presence and condition of other deep wells near the proposed injection well.

Approximately 180,000 Class II wells are in operation in the United States, with enhanced recovery wells making up as much as 80 percent of these wells.

According to the EPA’s draft permit for Lanphar 1-12, the injected mixture would be limited to an expected maximum daily volume of 1.75 million cubic feet of the gas mixture.

The proposed confining zone is noted to be separated from the lowermost source of drinking water by over 3,600 feet and composed of rocks between 3,762 and 3,988 feet below ground surface.

The maximum injection pressure would also be limited to 1,855 pounds per square inch gauge (PSIG), which “will ensure that the pressure during injection does not initiate fractures in the injection zone,” the draft noted, and that “review of the permit application indicates that no significant environmental impact should result from the proposed injection.”