The U.S. Geological Survey confirms it was a 3.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the Eagle Ford Shale southeast of San Antonio over the weekend.
The epicenter of the earthquake was about 2 miles north of the Karnes County town of Falls City and the quake hit around 8 o’clock Saturday night. Falls City is about 44 miles southeast of San Antonio.
The sheriff in Karnes County reported receiving numerous phone calls about the rumbling but no reports of damage.
Like in Oklahoma, residents and critics of the oil and gas industry blame the earthquakes on increased wastewater injection wells.
At least 16 earthquakes have been reported this year in South Texas and the weekend 3.6 magnitude quake was the strongest.
Saltwater disposal wells are regulated by the Railroad Commission of Texas, the state agency that regulates the oil and natural gas industry.
Railroad Commission officials adopted stricter regulations for saltwater disposal wells in November 2014. Over the last four years, the agency received 367 disposal well applications in areas of historic seismicity.
Of those proposed projects, 163 permits were issued with special conditions that include reducing maximum daily injection volumes and pressures as well as being required to record volumes and pressures on a daily basis as opposed to monthly.
Fifty-four disposal applications were returned or withdrawn. Eleven applications were sent to hearing. Twenty-one permits were issued without special conditions and 118 applications are pending technical review.