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UPDATE: State orders well owner to halt brine injections
TweetYOUNGSTOWN — The small earthquake that shook Youngstown on Christmas Eve had a depth shallower than originally reported, prompting the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on Friday to order D&L Energy Inc. to cease operations at a nearby injection well.
The magnitude 2.5 earthquake, officially the 10th since March 17 to occur in close proximity to the brine-injection well on Ohio Works Drive, had a depth of 11,000 feet, said Andy Ware, deputy director at ODNR, the shallowest depth of any of the 10 earthquakes.
That's only about 2,000 feet below the bottom of the D&L injection well, which ceased operations as of 5 p.m. Friday.
The state still hasn't said there is a definitive correlation between the well and the earthquakes, but it will now require a radioactive test at the well site and will require D&L to plug the bottom 250 feet of the well.
Ware said ODNR was able to determine the precise depth because of four seismographs it set up earlier this month in conjunction with Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
The four seismographs, along with a fifth at Youngstown State University, allowed seismologists and geologists to focus in on the exact depth of the latest earthquake by compiling data from each station.
"Based on that info with the depth, we though it was best to reach out the company," Ware said. "We believe it's the prudent thing to do at this time."
The D&L well has operated for about a year-and-a-half now, but didn't receive much attention until a series of earthquakes, all with epicenters near the well, began on March 17.
Ben Lupo, owner and CEO of D&L, told The Vindicator he expects the testing and plugging process to last about 10 days and says it will cost the company about $160,000 in business.
ODNR originally had planned to test and plug the bottom 250 feet of the well after another one of D&L's injection wells became fully operational.
But after compiling the data on the latest quake, ODNR decided to move forward with the testing phase immediately.
"They want us to do it now," Lupo said. "We're doing it to appease the public."
Comments
It's about time someone came to their senses! Way to go Youngstown!! Don't do what Oklahoma did and wait until it got to a 5.6 magnitude. Thanks for looking out after the people!!!! You are so much smarter than PA.
People in Ohio keep an eye on things around them. http://www.munimanagement.com/shookup/
Don't just "appease the public". Care about the safety of your workers and the people who live around the drilling site.
Lupo coming across as only caring that it's going to cost him $160,000 in business and he's doing it to "appease the public".
Damn man, your "business" is the likely cause of earthquakes and God knows what else, and all you care about is "appeasing the public"???
It's amazing. how ignorant everyone is in this 'fracking' region. i wouldn't be worried about the earthquakes. It would be more important to focus on the quality of fresh water, and how it will be affected, since we live in one of the greatest fresh water supplies in the whole country/civilized world, that is the true future for this area.
avgcitizen- I think , in fact I'm certain everyone is also worried about the inevitable contamination of drinking water. This is just one facet of drilling that is injurious to all of us. Thanks to all who are fighting this. I truly believe that Ohio has the people and the power to stop this madness. You have seen the harm done elsewhere. Keep vigilant!
We are worried about the fresh water. We are worried about the earthquakes.
Some people just worry about profits, take the money and run. Many talk about the steal mills, yes they did create a lot of jobs, but the mahoning river is still ruined from the mills. And will be for decades to come. The question is, is it worth it to us in the valley. It it worth Chesapeak coming in here, making millions, creating few jobs and disappearing, leaving us to clean up the mess once again.
JD,
The frackers will never say the quakes are from fracking. I am sure there is another reason earthquakes started in Ok, just happen to be near fracking.. I am sure the is another reason earthquakes stated in Ytown, just happens to be by fracking. The same in Colorado, frcking just happens to be near the recent eathquakes.
We’ve been talking for months on our GreenJoyment site about the dangers of fracking.
This is an oil industry practice where they pump water, arsenic (AS IN POISON), sand and other toxic substances deep into the earth.
This creates pockets under the ground, where natural gas and oil fills in and can be sucked out/retrieved.
In other words, fracking sucks.
In many peer-reviewed studies, fracking has been shown to poison water supplies and damage/destroy plant life growing above ground.
There has also been much speculation that fracking is related to much of the increase of seismic activity on the planet.
Now on New Years eve, a week from the last earthquake, we have a 4.0 on the Richter scale!!!???? This is insane. I wonder if they are still going to feed us the same old tired line of, oh we just can't draw a correlation.
Everyone please realize we must write, call, show up at the offices of our representatives and ask them to support stopping fracking PERIOD in Ohio.
If the gas industry is already spouting lies that these earthquakes are not coming from their dirty practices, what are they going to say when our water comes up full of contaminants. They'll turn a blind eye again.
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/
Notice they were also ordered to perform radiation tests. There is a good reason for that. Brine contains heavy concentrations of radioactivity. You must stop fracking and the injections wells.