Seismographs to Monitor for Earthquake-Brine Link

New monitoring equipment will help determine whether earthquakes in northeast Ohio are resulting from
the disposal of brine used in natural gas drilling.

Deputy director Andy Ware of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources tells The Vindicator that four new seismographs have been set up in the Youngstown area, which has seen eight minor earthquakes this year. The latest was a 2.1-magnitude quake that occurred Nov. 25 just a few blocks from a brine injection well.

Brine pumped underground by the well is a byproduct of fracking, which uses water laced with chemicals to free up gas locked in underground shale.

The company that owns the well has said the brine is injected at pressures that are regulated by the state and are safe.