Kansas regulators have decided to continue limits on wastewater disposal associated with oil and gas production in south central Kansas. It’s part of an effort to study and reduce earthquake activity.
The rules regulate how much water can be pumped into underground disposal wells in Sumner and Harper County.
Samir Arif is with the Kansas Corporation Commission. He says regulators have been studying whether wastewater injection is influencing earthquakes.
“The results were pretty much inconclusive, so they’d like to study it further. That is sort of the impetus for extending this order for another six months,” says Arif.
The wastewater is a byproduct of oil and gas production. Early results show reducing the amount of wastewater pumped into the ground may reduce the strength and frequency of earthquakes in the area.