Governor orders study on injection well alternatives

Maps from the United States Geological Survey show more earthquakes in Oklahoma than any other place in the world.

More than 5,000 earthquakes have been recorded this year.

On Tuesday, Governor Mary Fallin announced that she formed a fact-finding group to look into underground disposal wells, which is now linked to the increase in earthquakes.

The Water for 2060 Produced Water Working Group will try to finds ways to recycle or reuse the water instead of injecting it into the underground wells.

Several other states already reuse and recycle the water, including Texas.

One possibility is to treat the water and use it for crop irrigation.

“What a win-win for all if we can turn wasted water into a useful resource, while at the same time reducing seismic activity caused by deep well injection,” Governor Fallin said.

Nearly 1.5 billion barrels of produced water were disposed underground in Oklahoma in 2014.

Gov. Fallin named J.D. Strong, director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, to serve as chair.