The majority of Arkansas’ fracking occurs in the Fayetteville shale, a rural region that has been transformed into a busy industrial zone with its fracking boom. From 2005–2012, close to 5,000 wells were fracked.

In recent years, Arkansas has been plagued with earthquakes, and multiple studies have linked them to fracking wastewater disposal.

In 2011, the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission deemed a 1,150-square-mile segment of the Fayetteville shale off-limits for waste disposal in response to the seismic activity. The following year, the commission adopted rules requiring drillers to provide information on the geology of their well sites and to drill wells away from known fault lines.

Did You Know?

A report by the Environmental Integrity Project, released in 2014, found that Arkansas has 168 fracking sites that have illegally injected diesel fuel into the ground while fracking, which violates the Clean Water Act.

Last Updated: September 29, 2015

For More Information:

• USGS Scientific Investigations Report: Shallow Groundwater Quality and Geochemistry in the Fayetteville Shale Gas-Production Area, North-Central Arkansas, 2011
• Gas Drilling Wastewater Lawsuit Filed By Arkansas Property Owners (Associated Press)
• Fracking Well Shutdown Extended As Researchers Study Link To Earthquakes In Arkansas (Associated Press)
• Insight: Arkansas lawsuits test fracking wastewater link to quakes (Reuters)