Northeast Ohio injection operation halted after quake
COLUMBUS, Ohio – State regulators in Ohio suspended operations at two deep injection wells for fracking wastewater in northeast Ohio Friday after discovering possible evidence the operation caused a 2.1-magnitude earthquake over the weekend.
A spokeswoman said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources issued a chief’s order to American Water Management Services for its Weathersfield site, near Warren. Messages seeking comment were left after regular business hours for the company.
ODNR spokeswoman Bethany McCorkle called Sunday’s quake “relatively minor.” She said the suspension is effective until a full investigation occurs.
American Water Management Services had recently received permission to increase pressures at its Weathersfield site.
The citizens group Frackfree Mahoning Valley had called for an immediate halt to deep injection at the wells after the earthquake.
“The suspension was a prudent thing to do,” said Youngstown State University geologist Ray Beiersdorfer, who is affiliated with the group. He said he hopes ODNR will release more information regarding the pressures at the Weathersfield site following its investigation.
The Marcellus and Utica shale fields, rich in natural gas and oil, lie deep underneath parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Maryland and West Virginia. More than 6,000 new wells have been drilled there over the last five years.
In 2012, Gov. John Kasich halted disposal of fracking wastewater surrounding a well site in the same region after a series of earthquakes later tied to a deep-injection well. The company that ran the well has disputed the link.
The state had proactively placed seismic-monitoring devices in the Warren area under protocols adopted after the series of earthquakes in nearby Youngstown.