Good News! State orders well owner to halt brine injections

[irishbobcat]

State orders well owner to halt brine injections Published: Fri, December 30, 2011 @ 5:19 p.m.  YOUNGSTOWN — 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."
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Good News indeed! It's time for the truth to finally come out regarding the potential dangers of fracking in the valley!

It's time to stop the dirty fracking companies and their local agents from harming our land and water.

It's time to see through the lies that a certain pro-fracking individual uses on this forum in order to deceive the general public. All his talk
of fracking as being a good idea because it is pursued by true American "Capitalists" and opposed by Communists
is a bunch of bull....

Here's hoping we have a "frackless" New Year in 2012!