Wastewater Injection Connected To Earthquakes In Oklahoma

Oklahoma has become a destination spot for wastewater injection services.

The state injected 1.5 billion barrels of wastewater last year, KOCO reported. About 76.5 million came from other states, including Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, and Colorado.

Matt Skinner, spokesman for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC), weighed in: “What is at issue is the amount of water that is taken in, not its source of origin.”

Commercial wells cannot refuse to buy wastewater from outside states, according to the report. “We don’t make the law. Congress makes the law,” Skinner said, per the report.

“Skinner said in all, less than five percent of the overall wastewater that has been disposed in Oklahoma has been brought in from other states. Because of the small portion, he said it’s unlikely the out of state wastewater has played a factor in the recent earthquake activity,” the report said.

Research has linked wastewater injection to earthquakes.

In 2014, research from University of Colorado scientists concluded that “the massive increase in earthquakes in central Oklahoma is likely being caused by the injection of vast amounts of wastewater from oil and gas operations into underground layers of rock,” according to an announcement from the school. “Under high pressure, fluids can seep into existing faults and pry apart the rocks, allowing them to slip past each other more easily and cause earthquakes."

The state acknowledges that earthquakes are on the rise. “We know that Oklahoma experienced 907 magnitude 3+ earthquakes in 2015, 585 magnitude 3+ earthquakes in 2014 and 109 in 2013. This rise in seismic events has the attention of independent scientists, citizens, policymakers, media and industry,” according to the office of the state’s energy and environment secretary.

Not all of the wastewater in Oklahoma is going to earthquake-prone counties.

“According to the OCC, 48 million barrels of wastewater have been disposed in counties where earthquakes are not a problem, and 27 million barrels are being disposed in counties where earthquakes are a problem,” the news report said.