COLONY, Okla. – Oklahoma regulators say underground pressure from a single saltwater disposal well likely forced contaminated water to the surface near Colony, killing cattle and polluting Five Mile Creek west of Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC released new details on Wednesday as part of its ongoing enforcement case.
According to OCC spokesperson Jack Money, the saltwater release began Sept. 16, 2025, when residents reported briny water breaking through the ground and flowing toward Five Mile Creek. Ranchers later reported the discharge killed more than two dozen cattle and contributed to fish deaths downstream.
The OCC’s Oil and Gas Conservation Division (OGCD) identified the Pearcy #1 saltwater disposal well, operated by NJECT Disposal LLC, as the likely source. Investigators compared water samples from the purge site to flowback water from the well and found “many similarities,” including acetone that matched chemicals used in the frac liquid injected into the formation…