State shuts down disposal wells after earthquake near Prague, Green Country residents react

TULSA, Okla — People from central Oklahoma to Arkansas felt an earthquake shake them on Feb. 2.

Around 11:30 p.m. the United States Geological Survey reported a 5.1 magnitude earthquake.

"It was loud and intense," said Hayden Sides. "It sounded like a freight train."

"I was just laying in the bed, and man, it got crazy," recalled C.J. Rogers, a Mounds resident. He said the earthquake initially sounded like fireworks. "My whole house started cracking. It was weird."

The quake centered around five miles northwest of Prague.

In an attempt to mitigate the risk of more seismic activity near Prague, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission's Oil and Gas Conservation Division issued a directive for a change in the operations of some oil and gas wastewater disposal wells.

All disposal wells permitted to dispose into the Arbuckle formation and within a 10-mile radius of the earthquake have been directed to begin shutting down operations. The Arbuckle formation is the state's deepest formation.

The shutdown is expected to be finished by Feb. 17 and the gradual shutdown process is required to avoid pressure changes that could result in more seismic activity.

According to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, oil and gas wastewater disposal into the formation has been linked to seismic activity in other parts of the state.

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