MIDLAND, Texas — The Midland City Council approved of a new saltwater disposal well Tuesday, and it will be inside city limits.
The proposal was brought forth by Endeavor Energy Resources concerning a non-commercial saltwater disposal well.
Before putting the measure to a vote, city councilmembers debated whether or not the well could be moved outside of city limits.
Their concern stems from the potential for seismic activity to erupt from the drilling done by one of the wells.
Lori Blong, city councilwoman for District 4, echoed these concerns but noted Endeavor and other companies have done research on the effects of seismic activity and how to minimize the risk.
“I think we know at this point that seismicity is related to saltwater injection, at least there’s correlations there that we are tracking. So there was a lot of discussion at today’s meeting about that," Blong said. "Endeavor and several other local operators have been involved in those conversations about seismicity. So these groups are leading the way from industry to make decisions about the appropriate use of injection wells.”
An Endeavor representative at the meeting pointed out that the proposed area has lesser chance of earthquakes than other parts of the city according to studies and historical subsurface data.
After hearing all arguments, the city council voted to pass the proposal 6-1.
The new saltwater disposal well help recycle saltwater from producing oil and gas and will keep water disposal trucks off the freeway.
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