Other oil- and gas-rich states experienced an unusual rise in seismic activity, though none as high as Oklahoma. Wastewater volumes in the region rose 140 percent over the same period, from at least 18.2 billion gallons to at least 43.8 billion gallons, according to estimates provided by Murray. In the Arbuckle, the number of disposal wells has nearly doubled, from 430 wells in 2009 to 830 wells in 2014. Most of the recent earthquakes have occurred in the Precambrian basement rock, which underlays the Arbuckle Group rocks. Unconventional techniques, including hydraulic fracturing, or fracking - another wastewater-intensive process - further ignited the drilling boom.Īs oil and gas production climbed, so too did the volume of brackish and fracking wastewater being injected into Oklahoma’s geological formations. With prices high, however, and with the advent of new “dewatering” technologies, producers could afford the extra hassle. The aging wells required sucking up copious amounts of brackish wastewater to reach the remaining oil reserves. At the time, Oklahoma was blanketed with older oil wells that producers had abandoned in the 1990s. Oklahoma’s drilling renaissance began around 2008, when global oil prices surged into the triple digits. “We’re responding to it and trying to understand it better at this point,” he said during a recent tour with reporters to oil and gas facilities in central Oklahoma. He noted it could take six months to two years to see the full effect of any pullback in wastewater injections. With existing efforts, “We might see a little bit of a plateau in the rate,” said Kyle Murray, a hydrogeologist at the Oklahoma Geological Survey. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates the oil and gas sector, has taken some steps to reduce earthquakes, including limiting permits for new wells in “areas of interest” and requiring certain disposal wells to temporarily shutter or reduce water intake if shaking occurs nearby.īut scientists in the state say those measures haven't been enough to drive a sharp decline in earthquakes. The government has resisted calls from environmental groups to place a temporary ban on new wastewater injections while agencies and companies study the phenomenon. Oklahoma officials say they are still struggling to devise a strategy to reduce seismic activity without strangling the energy industry, the state’s largest employer. Insurance claims are rising as foundations crack and bricks crumble, while geologists are warning of the unknown long-term effects of continuously rattling an entire state and pumping it full of wastewater. Nearly 700 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater have rocked Oklahoma this year, a more than 300-fold leap from the start of the drilling boom in 2008. Oklahoma surpassed California last year as the earthquake capital of the lower 48 states and will likely beat the Golden State in 2015. Such shaking has become routine in parts of Oklahoma, where oil and gas companies are injecting unprecedented volumes of wastewater into the ground and inducing earthquakes, scientists have confirmed. A separate tremor in north-central Oklahoma sent homes and buildings gently swaying on the opposite side of the state, as far south as Norman and Oklahoma City. crude stockpiles, sparking fears among residents of potential explosions. 10 just miles from the fields of white round tanks that hold the largest share of U.S. NORMAN, Oklahoma - The ground shook throughout Oklahoma in recent days, including near the crucial Cushing oil storage hub. The state is experiencing a surge in earthquakes linked to wastewater from oil and gas activities. A pump jack operates at a well site leased near Guthrie, Oklahoma.
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