There is a ‘disaster’ lurking beneath Texas that has the potential to cause toxic water to spew out at any moment.
This is because the largest oil reserve in the US is struggling with a major water problem, according to an investigation conducted by Bloomberg News.
In the report, the news outlet discovered that the ‘reasons behind the leaks may jeopardize fossil fuel development across the Permian basin’.
The Permian Basin is a major sedimentary basin that can be found in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico.
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It is known for being the largest oil-producing region in the entire country and has natural gas deposits as well.
The basin contains layers of shale rock which makes it the ideal region for hydraulic fracturing to extract the oil.
The area plays a vital role in the energy market of the US and is a critical factor in US crude oil production.
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Kevin Crowley, who is a senior reporter for Bloomberg News, said: “For every barrel of oil that is produced in the Permian basin, you also get about three to five barrels of waste water. We call it water, but it’s pretty toxic stuff. It’s as much as five times saltier than the ocean, it contains oil and gas residue, and it contains all other manner of heavy metals and radioactive materials.”
This water gets reinjected into the basin which impacts the pressure and reactivates existing faults.
This sparked a range of new frequent earthquakes that were taking its toll on the local communities.
As a result, the companies involved in the oil production decided to inject the water to more shallow pockets of land to prevent further earthquakes but this come with its own problems.
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The pressure in the ground due to the build up of water is causing it to leak out on the surface.
As a result, geysers have formed, which is a hot spring where water has intermittently boiled and sent a tall column of water and steam into the air.
Many people took to the TikTok comment section to react to the information, with one user writing: “Everyone knows fracking is bad. Its been known for years. Billionaires do not care and they pay your favorite politicians on both sides to not care.”
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Another said: “In 2025 we have the technology to harness power from the sun.”
A third person commented: “I simply don’t believe anything anymore. I can’t prove it, but they’re lying.”
And a fourth added: “Having lived in this area for years - no one there cares. It’s always about money.”