Some Suspect Lake Arcadia is Behind Earthquake Surge in Edmond

As the Oklahoma Corporation Commission issued orders Monday for five wastewater injection wells to reduce operations around Edmond due to strong earthquakes, one retired Petroleum Engineer has a theory that the nearby Lake Arcadia Lake might also be a cause for the increase in strong seismic activity.

Ed Woods tells News 9’s Dana Hertneky he believes the increase in water volume at the lake is also a factor because its proximity to the epicenter of the 4.3 magnitude quake that struck early last week.

He said he has been investigating the earthquakes around Edmond for the past year and reviewed levels of Arcadia Lake. He found the level rose rapidly before the first strong earthquake and calculated nearly 4.5 million tons of additional weight were added to the fault block prior to the quake.

“It’s another thing that needs to be considered, particularly since they are having trouble finding any active injection wells in this area,” said Woods.

News 9’s Alex Cameron also spoke with Corporation Commission officials about the lake’s impact on the fault.

Read Alex Cameron’s report.

News 9