With the recent increase in earthquakes in north central Oklahoma, government officials are searching for a way to reuse or recycle the water produced in oil and mineral gas operations. Governor Mary Fallin announced on Wednesday the formation of a fact-finding work group that will try to find ways to process the water instead of it being injected into underground disposal wells.

Fallin made the announcement during the 36^th Annual Oklahoma Governor's Water Conference and Research Symposium, which is underway in Norman. Fallin said, “What a win-win for all if we can turn wasted water into a useful resource, while at the same time reducing seismic activity caused by deep well injection.”

In 2014, nearly 1.5 billion barrels of produced water were disposed underground in Oklahoma. Underground injection of produced water is correlated with the recent increase in earthquakes in Oklahoma.