NILES, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has lifted its suspension on one of the two American Water Management Services injection wells in Weathersfield Township, the agency announced Thursday.
In a prepared statement, ODNR spokeswoman Bethany McCorkle said that after analyzing data in the wake of a 2.1 magnitude earthquake that occurred in late August, the agency determined that the shallower well – AWMS #1 -- was not related to any seismic activity.
"ODNR concluded that with reasonable scientific certainty, injection operations at the shallower of the two wells was not related to the 2.1 seismic event that occurred in August," McCorkle said. "The company may resume injection operations at the AWMS #1 well immediately."
However, a second and deeper well, the AWMS #2, remains closed as ODNR's investigation continues, she said. The epicenter of the Weathersfield tremor was closer to the deeper well.
Attempts to contact Ron Klingle, chairman of Avalon Holdings Inc., which owns American Water Systems, were unsuccessful Thursday afternoon.
American Water Management Systems' wastewater injection operation was shut down after a 2.1 tremor rippled through the area in late August.
The wells, just of Main Street in Weathersfield, are used to store wastewater generated from oil and gas exploration wells in Ohio and Pennsylvania. ODNR has placed seismometers around injection wells ever since a 4.0 earthquake hit the Mahoning Valley on New Year's Eve 2011.
That quake was tied to a wastewater injection well – the Northstar #1 well – in Youngstown and the operation was shut down.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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