According to Oklahoma Energy Today, citing reporting from the Hobbs News-Sun, earthquake frequency in the Permian Basin has surged by as much as 700% since 2018, with scientists at New Mexico Tech linking the increase directly to oilfield wastewater injection practices.
Seismic Surge Tied to Produced Water Disposal
Dr. Urbi Basu, a research scientist at the New Mexico Tech Seismological Observatory, says the Delaware Basin near Carlsbad, New Mexico has gone from roughly 50 earthquakes per year before 2018 to approximately 400 per year in recent periods. Across the broader region, the USGS is now tracking averages of 300 to 400 seismic events per year above magnitude 1.8, compared to just 50 annually before 2018. Between 70% and 80% of those events remain below magnitude 3.
Basu attributes the trend to the sheer volume of produced water being reinjected into the subsurface. “The Permian produces a significant amount of daily water production,” she said. “For every barrel of oil there is a barrel of produced water. It is reinjected back into the subsurface. The volume is 4 million barrels per day in New Mexico.” Texas has seen a parallel trend in its portion of the Permian, echoing the induced seismicity crisis Oklahoma experienced in earlier years.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Saltwater disposal operators and injection well contractors should expect heightened regulatory scrutiny from the EPA and state agencies in New Mexico and Texas, similar to what Oklahoma operators faced when that state’s seismic surge drew federal attention.
- Civil and structural contractors working near wellsites, pipelines, or facilities in the Delaware Basin should factor low-level but frequent seismic activity into site assessments and equipment anchoring practices.
- Water management and midstream subcontractors may see growing demand as operators look for alternative disposal methods, deeper injection zone options, or water recycling solutions to reduce subsurface pressure.
- Permitting timelines could lengthen for new saltwater disposal wells as regulators respond to the data, making early engagement with project schedules critical for subs dependent on those contracts.
