TULSA, Okla. — The Oklahoma Corporation Commission shut down disposal wells in response to the 5.1 magnitude earthquake which 2 News learned is the standard response in Oklahoma.
“So, what we do in these instances is we look for among other things is disposal into the Arbuckle Formation, and the Arbuckle Formation is the state’s deepest formation, and disposal into the Arbuckle Formation has been linked to seismic activity in different parts of the state,” said OCC spokesman, Matt Skinner.
2 News Oklahoma asked Skinner why they don’t shut the wells down permanently if this keeps happening.
“Well, we shut them down indefinitely. To shut them down permanently would require a legal process without actually taking property. In a sense, it would be kind of a seizure so what we do is we say yes, you have a permit to operate but we are suspending that permit right now,” said Skinner.
The OCC said shutting off the wells takes time and must be done slowly to avoid sudden pressure changes that could spark more earthquakes. According to the OCC, all disposal wells that are permitted to dispose into the Arbuckle Foundation and are in the area within 10 miles of the February 3rd earthquake are directed to shut down operations with a complete shutdown to be done by February 17th.
“The event in 2011 near Prague, Oklahoma is considered to be the start of this problem and then they peaked in 2017. Now, obviously, there was a great deal of scientific knowledge to be gained between 2011 and 2017 and we’re still learning about this phenomenon which in the way that it’s been played out in Oklahoma, it’s never been seen anywhere else in the world,” said Skinner.
The OCC said this is just an initial response and further study could result in new directives in the future.
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