The State Corporation Commission took action Thursday to reduce operations of two Arbuckle wastewater disposal wells in the area of a recent earthquake swarm in Kingfisher County.
Matt Skinner, a spokesman for the Commission indicated the wells were under a directive to reduce volumes by 25 percent, on top of a 40 percent reduction imposed last year.
“This is not a final action,” said Skinner in an email message to OK Energy Today. “Still working with OGS on data.”
The wells are Choate’s Choate SWD1 and Chapparal Energy’s Dover Unit Hoover SWD1.
Skinner also said Chapparal informed the OCC that it will stop disposing into the Arbuckle with the Dover Unit Hoover SWD and will move quickly to other formations not linked to seismicity.
“Choate has also told the OCC it will modify operations with the goal of eventually stopping all disposal into the Arbuckle,” added Skinner.
Over the past two weeks, there has been a spike in the number of earthquakes around the city of Hennessey. The strongest measured 4.1 magnitude.
The quakes occurred right in the heart of Oklahoma’s STACK play. Kingfisher county is one of three counties that make up the popular drilling zone.
