Despite earthquake link, disposal well applications still flood into the ODNR
Monday, April 23, 2012
by Matt Warnock
Despite confirmation by Ohio state officials of the link between a disposal well and a series of earthquakes in Youngstown, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is currently reviewing 19 applications for new disposal wells as companies prepare to accommodate an increasing number of Ohio Utica wells during the next few years, The Columbus Dispatch reports. With 171 disposal wells currently operating in the state and another 23 approved but not yet operating, state records show "53 percent of the 12.2 million barrels of wastewater injected in Ohio disposal wells last year came from Pennsylvania and West Virginia shale wells," the article said.