'Fracking' Disposal Sites Suspended, Likely Linked To Arkansas Earthquakes

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Two natural gas companies have agreed to temporarily suspend use of injection wells in central Arkansas where earthquakes keep occurring.

Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy and Clarita Operating of Little Rock told the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission on Friday that they've stopped operation of the wells near Greenbrier and Guy pending the panel's next regular meeting on March 29.

Clarita's parent company is True Energy Services of Ada, Okla.

The commission says there is likely a link between the wells and the earthquakes. There have been more than 800 quakes in the area in the past six months and a magnitude 4.7 quake – the strongest in Arkansas in 35 years – hit there Sunday.

The high-pressure wells are used to dispose of waste water from natural gas drilling.

Comments

[The last sane American]

06:22 PM on 04/02/2011

It is clear that everybody in America is on the edge of their chairs about this man-caused disaster. Last post March 10.

So that you will not succumb to fear, you mat be interested to know that about 127 aftershocks have been recorded since March 8 some days after the injection was suspended. the rate is about the same for the past 10 months. And a majority of them are located several miles from the suspect wells.

The State needs more time to conclude what is obvious. The involved companies have agreed to continue the suspension.

[The last sane American]

07:23 AM on 03/10/2011

Can anybody shed light on the location and the actual depths of the Injection wells. mentioned in this article? I can find the location and depth of the recent 4.7 from the USGS as well as the swarm orientation of the 2009 to present seismic activity.

Just trying to connect the dots.

[horsey]

02:10 PM on 03/10/2011

http://water.epa.gov/type/groundwater/uic/wells_class1.cfm

[The last sane American]

03:34 PM on 03/10/2011

Thanks for the general information. I was actually looking for the depths that the waste is being injected in this area. If it is thousands of feet vertically separated from the depth of the quake, then it very unlikely that it is causing the quake. This is the same logic that ensures the waters are being injected thousands of feet vertically separated from known aquifers.

[rich misty]

08:50 PM on 03/09/2011

Conservatives deny that they want to destroy the country...
 
But they support policies that are in fact destroying the country.  They deny science, so when high pressure injection causes a massive earthquake and terrible destruction...
 
They will blame "liberals" saying this was God's punishment.

[PAGasDriller]

01:08 PM on 03/13/2011

natural gas production is not a liberal vs conservative issue. Stop trying to make it one.

[smalljaws]

08:41 PM on 03/09/2011

Democracy for America is looking for signatures in opposition to the Delaware River Basin Commision's lax regulations on hydrofracking. If you object to benzene and radium in the watershed or have questions contact ( [e-mail] ) Or you can send a letter directly to:

Paula Schmitt DRBC
P.O. Box 7360
25 State Police Dr.
West Trenton, NJ 08628

The current draft rules place no restrictions on the chemicals and no waste water standards.

[scorpioman]

07:21 PM on 03/09/2011

get the "frack" out of the US!

[joeblob]

07:16 PM on 03/09/2011

Actually, it was the Shah of Iran who said that petroleum was far too valuable to waste it by burning it to drive vehicles around but it is the thought that counts.

[flex50five]

06:39 PM on 03/09/2011

"dispose" of waste water?!?!?!?

Can anyone explain how this won't make its way back into the water cycle?

[cseper]

05:45 PM on 03/09/2011

Why is 'fracking' allowed?

[horsey]

05:55 PM on 03/09/2011

Cheney's energy commission exempted them from regulation.

[KELLI2L]

05:27 PM on 05/01/2011

Obama said he would reverse everything Bush/Cheney did. I'm still waiting, and getting blue in the face (can't last much longer) ug-ug-ug

[busterbrownthefirst]

04:04 PM on 03/09/2011

If we can get all this with just natural gas, I can barely wait for "clean coal" storage. That's where we're going to pump gigantic amounts of CO2 underground, so you can imagine there should be a lot more excitement when that happens.

Speaking of excitement, if you want more, please help by support the complete defunding of the EPA.

[KELLI2L]

05:31 PM on 05/01/2011

Our politicians couldn't allow more damage to this planet if they tried to destroy it !!! No wonder Trump calls them STUPID....

[Yeah-sure]

01:14 PM on 03/09/2011

Natural gas if pretty clean energy -- but not if we destroy our ground water to get it!

If you haven't seen the documentary GasLand, about the problems fracking -- like flammable water coming out of people's faucets -- then you need to check it out. And the best Stop Fracking t-shirts are at http://sharkbaitshirts.com -- take a look at there too.

[busterbrownthefirst]

04:07 PM on 03/09/2011

I live in Colorado, and we very frequently get to see newsclips of people just a couple hours north of us turning on their water and flicking a lighter and presto--big explosion! The only thing I don't get is that on these clips the same frigging person usually does this more than once. You have got to assume most northern Coloradans have no eyebrows or eyelashes. You have also got to assume our state has abysmal natural gas regulations.

[N Rathke]

12:44 PM on 03/09/2011

We is Wisconsin suspect that behind Gov. Walker's easing of restrictions on water quality lies a plan to introduce fracking here, a further danger to our state's water supply and a danger to the people. Not the Kochs, though--they don't live here.

[depasquale5]

11:25 AM on 03/09/2011

Another great idea by our favorite friends, Republicans.

[AllanAZ]

11:24 AM on 03/09/2011

Let see, injection chemicals and water into subsurface rock.
Earth quake?????

[Kitty Malone]

10:17 AM on 03/09/2011

And of course, fracking has nothing to do with the earthquakes reported in WV either.

http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/545189/Officials--No-link-between-wells--quakes.html?nav=5061