Saltwater Disposal Wells: Counts by State and Where to Find Them
Seven states permit 45,637 saltwater disposal wells, Texas 36,918 of them. State-by-state counts, why shares differ, and the agency files behind each number.
← All posts
TOPIC
Oklahoma Oil and Gas
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission regulates oil and gas wells in the state and keeps its records across several tools, including its well data finder and imaging system. These posts explain what each one covers and how to find a well in them.
Oklahoma is also where the link between oil and gas wastewater and earthquakes is best documented: the USGS attributes most of the state's earthquakes to wastewater disposal, not to hydraulic fracturing. The earthquake posts map that record against the disposal wells.
The OCC posts walk through searching by operator, county, well name or API number, and what gas composition and statewide views add to a single well record. The disposal wells behind the earthquake record are covered in the well data hub, alongside injection wells in other states.
5 posts in this topic
Oil Field Map: Find Every Well in a Named Field, State by State
Texas well records carry 55,791 field names, Colorado 1,556 and Wyoming 1,174. What a field name means, where outlines exist, and how to map its wells.
Oklahoma Earthquake Map and History: 27,747 Events Since 1980
Oklahoma recorded 45 magnitude 3.0+ earthquakes from 1980 to 2008, then 901 in 2015 alone. See where the 27,747 events cluster and what USGS links them to.
Class II Injection Wells and the Other UIC Classes, Explained
About 180,000 Class II oil and gas injection wells operate in the US, most for enhanced recovery, not disposal. The six UIC classes and where records live.
OCC Well Data Finder: Search Oklahoma Well Records on a Map
The OCC Well Data Finder, RBDMS and imaging each hold part of an Oklahoma well record. Search 456,000 wells by name or operator on one map, gas data included.