MIDLAND, Texas — With four more earthquakes last week occurring in Northwest Midland County, the Railroad Commission has decided to indefinitely suspend all deep oil and gas produced water injection in this area.
This is the latest action taken by the RRC to help ensure all measures have been taken to protect residents and the environment in the area.
Operators of disposal wells in the RRC's Gardendale Seismic Response Area will not be allowed to inject below the top of the Strawn Formation. This occurs around 10,000 feet in depth but can vary.
According to the state's TexNet Seismic Monitoring Program, there were four earthquakes north of Odessa and northwest of Midland that had a magnitude of 3.1, 3.6, 3.7, 3.3.
Inspectors and geologists have been inspecting disposal activity and constantly monitoring seismic data. RRC staff have seen over 30 earthquakes greater than 3.0 since December of 2019.
