Arkansas Earthquakes Prompt Closing Of Waste Wells

By Kevin Westerling

Chesapeake Energy and Clarita recently submitted to a request by the State Oil and Gas Commission of Arkansas to temporarily cease operation of two wastewater disposal wells following a spate of earthquakes in north-central Arkansas, according to The New York Times.

Some experts and state researchers, including the Arkansas Geological Survey, have drawn a correlation between the wells and thousands of earthquakes that have occurred in the region since September. Though most were small in magnitude, a quake on Feb. 27 registered 4.7 — the largest felt in Arkansas in 35 years.

In response to that event, an emergency session was scheduled six days later to request the shutdown. Chesapeake and Clarita agreed prior to the meeting, but neither company supports the theory that the wells and the earthquakes are connected.

The two wells in question, dug to dispose of wastewater created during natural gas drilling, were targeted for their proximity to a fault line. They will remain closed pending further determination at a hearing of the Oil and Gas Commission later this month. Seven other wells were allowed to remain active, while a moratorium put in place in December prohibits new disposal wells from being dug.