Brine injection well expected to reopen in Trumbull County
Monday, January 9, 2017
The pumping of waste from hydraulic fracturing into a closed injection well in Trumbull County’s Weathersfield Township is expected to resume, following Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Kimberly Cocroft’s judgement, according to the Daily Journal.
Cocroft ordered the state and well operator, American Water Management Services, to submit language for a judgment order to reopen the well.
The well was originally shut down after earthquakes were detected below ground in July and August of 2014. However, Cocroft’s ruling said the Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management should have let American Water resume operations after submitting a new plan that required brine to be pumped at lower pressures and volumes.
Over 20 seismic events were recorded near the well before it closed.
Learn more: Daily Journal > Judge orders Ohio to let company reopen brine injection well
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.