In Ohio, Toxic Wastewater Is Bubbling Up Out of the Ground NYT - Energy & Environment By: Quinn Glabicki and Maddie McGarvey 29 July 2026 at 10:00 The state is a major importer of fracking wastewater, which gets pumped underground but doesnβt always stay there. The city of Marietta is fighting back. Β© Maddie McGarvey for The New York TimesThe wastewater, which can be radioactive, has risen to the surface through older oil and gas wells near Marietta, Ohio, such as this one.