Oklahoma imposes restrictions on oil and gas wastewater disposal to check earthquakes

Oklahoma Corporation Commission in the US has unveiled a plan to reduce wastewater disposals by energy companies exploring oil and gas in northern Oklahoma County and southern Logan County.

The new regulations introduced by the commission’s Oil and Gas Conservation Division (OGCD) require the oil and gas companies in the two counties to reduce the amount of saltwater they inject underground by 38% from the present levels within the next 60 days.

The reduction is expected to bring the entire injected volumes to about 2.4 million barrels lower than the 2012 levels, the year in which the area experienced the rise in earthquakes.

New regulations by the state authorities will be affecting 12 operators who are responsible for 23 wells in the region, reports Reuters.

Besides Oklahoma, other central US states have also been affected by earthquakes since 2009.

Underground injection of briny wastewater, a byproduct of oil and gas production in the country, is believed to be a reason behind the increased seismic reactions, according to scientists.

Oklahoma presently has about 3,500 saltwater disposal wells.

The state is being affected with noticeable quakes, above magnitude 3.0, nearly two times a day on an average. Before 2009, the rate was two or so every year.

In July, the state had experienced three quakes of magnitude 4.0 or higher in a single day, which prompted the authorities to check whether or not the well operators were injecting oil and gas wastewater below the state’s deepest rock formation.