A Permian wellhead surrounded by fracking equipment. (Adobe Stock photo) |
To study wastewater injections and blowouts, researchers "examined a
January 2022 blowout in Crane County that gushed almost 15 million
gallons of brine before it was capped, according to the paper. That
would fill about 23 Olympic-sized swimming pools," Baddour and Ramos
report. "The study traced the cause of the blowout to a cluster of nine
injection wells about 12 miles to the northeast."
The connection between the Permian Basin's briny sprays and fracking wastewater "raises concerns about the possibility of widespread groundwater contamination in West Texas," Baddour and Ramos write. While the Texas Railroad Commission regulates the oil and gas extraction, it has "refrained from putting forth an explanation. . . . The link between injections and surface blowouts has remained unconfirmed, despite widespread suspicions." This recent study, which was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, "marks a big step forward in scientific documentation."
Attorney Sarah Stogner told Baddour and Ramos, "It just validates what we’ve been saying." Baddour and Ramos add, "For the last three years, Stogner has represented the Antina Cattle Ranch, where dozens of abandoned oil wells have been spraying back to life. Stogner persistently alleged that nearby wastewater injection was responsible. But she couldn’t prove it. . . . Now a scientific consensus is beginning to fall in behind her."
When old wells gush oil wastewater, the land that absorbs the salty mess is at risk. Baddour and Ramos explain, "West Texas ranchers who own land where contaminated water is seeping from underground are beginning to worry it will soon become uninhabitable. . . . Despite those problems, the Railroad Commission approved 400 new disposal wells in the Permian Basin alone in 2021, according to agency documents, and 480 in 2022."
To learn how fracking wastewater can contaminate groundwater, click here.
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