In the Ground Beneath Our Feet—Trillions of gallons of Wastewater

By Ron Prosek

May 20, 2026

In a recent article by Justin Nobel at desmog.com, published in cooperation with Rolling Stone, the oil/gas industry knew decades ago that injection of oil/gas well wastewater into the ground might not be safe as did the EPA.

The fact is that injection of wastewater from oil/gas wells into the ground threatens drinking water sources.  Unsuspecting consumers may be exposed to carcinogens and other toxic elements.In 1971 the EPA Assistant Administrator for Research and Monitoring stated “We really do not know what happens to the wastes down there,” Greenfield said. “We just hope.”Petroleum industry spokespersons often defend injection into subsurface formations by saying that the wastewater is injected into impermeable rock formations. 

However, at a conference in Houston in 1971, USGS hydrologist Robert Stallman conjectured that injection of large amounts of fluids would change the permeability of rock formations.  At that same conference, USGS hydrologist John Ferris said "The term ‘im- permeable’ is never an absolute. All rocks are permeable to some degree."  He added that wastewater would inevitably escape the injection zone.

You can read Justin Nobel's entire article at: https://www.desmog.com/2026/02/12/the-oil-industrys-latest-disaster-trillions-of-gallons-of-buried-toxic-wastewater/