Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin
Water disposal wells have driven fracking boom, may also cause earthquakes (bloomberg.com)
19 points by forrest_t on April 23, 2015 | hide | past | favorite | 2 comments



This headline is not accurate. Waste water disposal wells are not "driving" the hydraulic fracturing boom. Disposal of waste water comes at the end of the process--it does not drive the process.

The boom in oil and natural gas production in places like North Dakota, Texas, and Pennsylvania did not take off because suddenly there were waste water injection wells but because of hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling and advanced underground imaging (high oil prices also really helped).

In Oklahoma, as the article states, these waste water injection wells have been very helpful for finding a place to dispose of produced water. But it isn't accurate to say that disposal wells are "driving" the boom.


Without cheap disposal of large quantities of toxic sludge fracking is not economically viable. 60 years ago they could have simply dumped it into local streams but no longer fly's in the US. So, in the end banning injection wells effectively also banns fracking.

Or as the article says wastewater wells drive fracking take them away and they party stops.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: