The latest earthquakes early Thursday in northern Oklahoma prompted the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to take some regulatory steps including the shutdown of one disposal well.
One quake measured 3.8 magnitude near Waynoka and an hour later a 3.2 magnitude quake rattled Dover. Waynoka is in Major county and Dover is in Kingfisher County.
Later in the day, the OCC issued an announcement.
Following earthquake activity that occurred overnight in the Hennessey area, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s Oil and Gas Conservation Division (OGCD) has directed a disposal well in the area that is injecting into the Arbuckle formation to stop operations.
The Choate SWD #1 (Choate Disposal Services) was one of two wells in the area that had volumes reduced in October 2017. The other well stopped disposal into the Arbuckle formation in December 2017.
The OGCD has also issued a directive requiring further volume reductions of Arbuckle disposal wells in the Enid area. The directive applies to those Arbuckle disposal wells within 10 miles of recent earthquakes in the area.
Average daily volumes of above 2,000 barrels per day are to be reduced by 25 percent. The directive will mean volume reductions for seven disposal wells. Eight other wells below 2,000 barrels a day will be restricted to their last 60 day average. The directive will result in a reduction in current disposed volume of approximately 3,350 barrels per day. The Enid reduction is in addition to an approximately 40 percent reduction imposed in 2016.
