Saltwater Disposal Wells in Howard County, Texas
Howard County has 149 disposal-related permits on record — 1 in the last 12 months — with 289 injection wells on the RRC schedule, 289 of them active. SWD capacity here is led by GRAYROCK ENERGY II LLC, DKL WATER GATHERING PERMIAN LLC, O RYAN OIL AND GASamong 51 operators with disposal filings in the county.
Active SWD wells, top disposal operators, and the latest permits are below, from RRC permit and wellbore scheduling data (most recent filing 2025-08-21).
SWD Permits
149
Last 12mo
1
Permit Operators
51
Injection Wells
289
On Schedule
289
Permitted Capacity
5.96MMbbl/d
W-14 Disposal
2.33MMbbl/d
Deep Interval (8k+ ft)
32%
Injected (12mo)
233MMbbl
vs Prior Year
-52%
Capacity from active RRC UIC permits; injected volumes from operator H-10 filings.
Earthquakes M2+ (12mo)
82
vs Prior Year
+40
M3+ (12mo)
4
Max Magnitude (12mo)
M4.3
Seismicity in the Howard County area from the TexNet catalog · latest M3+: M3.9 23 km NW of Westbrook, Texas (2026-07-23) · sustained clusters can trigger RRC seismic response areas that curtail deep disposal. Full earthquake history →
Disposal Permit Activity
Injected Volumes (MMbbl/month, operator H-10 filings)
Disposal Operators (actual injected vs permitted, active UIC permits)
| OPERATOR | INJECTED 12MO (BBL) | PERMITTED BBL/D | WELLS |
|---|---|---|---|
| DKL WATER GATHERING PERMIAN, LLC | 67,855,736 | 855,000 | 32 |
| HIGHPEAK ENGY HOLDINGS, LLC | 32,543,247 | 444,000 | 15 |
| CITATION OIL & GAS CORP | 20,178,767 | 808,350 | 170 |
| OXYROCK OPER, LLC | 19,792,023 | 265,000 | 15 |
| BASA RES, INC | 16,530,072 | 574,800 | 143 |
| DEEP BLUE OPER I LLC | 11,412,897 | 326,380 | 13 |
| SURGE OPER, LLC | 9,992,432 | 268,000 | 17 |
| BAYSWATER OPER CO LLC | 7,547,615 | 139,900 | 8 |
| SM ENGY CO | 7,258,101 | 195,000 | 5 |
| GRAYROCK ENERGY II, LLC | 7,058,886 | 256,860 | 263 |
SWD Operators (by injection wells operated)
Top Permit Filers (disposal-related permits)
Injection Wells (most recently completed)
| API | LEASE | OPERATOR | DEPTH | COMPLETED | SCHED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42-227-41344 | QUINN 20 | OXYROCK OPERATING LLC | -- | 2026-03-13 | Y |
| 42-227-34011 | FOSTER W. L. #1 | BCE-MACH III LLC | -- | 2026-02-21 | Y |
| 42-227-41688 | ENGLE SWD | HIGHPEAK ENERGY HOLDINGS LLC | -- | 2026-02-05 | Y |
| 42-227-42764 | BIG ROCK | BAYSWATER OPERATING COMPANY LLC | -- | 2025-12-01 | Y |
| 42-227-37122 | WEST KNOTT SWD | DEEP BLUE OPERATING I LLC | -- | 2025-10-16 | Y |
| 42-227-39689 | HULKSTER SWD | BIRCH OPERATIONS INC. | -- | 2025-06-27 | Y |
| 42-227-39442 | MIDDLETON 2 | SURGE OPERATING LLC | -- | 2025-06-12 | Y |
| 42-227-36882 | BARNETT DEEP | OXY USA INC. | -- | 2025-05-15 | Y |
| 42-227-37927 | HUGHES SWD | PILOT WATER SOLUTIONS PERMIANLLC | -- | 2025-02-01 | Y |
| 42-227-38743 | RUSSELL SWD | OXYROCK OPERATING LLC | -- | 2024-11-15 | Y |
| 42-227-42503 | FLINT ROCK | BAYSWATER OPERATING COMPANY LLC | -- | 2024-08-28 | Y |
| 42-227-39441 | NEPTUNE SWD | SM ENERGY COMPANY | -- | 2024-06-27 | Y |
| 42-227-30998 | MURRAY B | BCE-MACH III LLC | -- | 2024-05-31 | Y |
| 42-227-10520 | MURRAY | BCE-MACH III LLC | -- | 2024-05-21 | Y |
| 42-227-42249 | THE SEVEN | BAYSWATER OPERATING COMPANY LLC | -- | 2024-05-15 | Y |
Recent Disposal Permits
| PERMIT | OPERATOR | LEASE | TYPE | ISSUED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 909991 | DKL WATER GATHERING PERMIAN, LLC | TOP GUN SWD | DRILL | 2025-08-21 |
| 904948 | SOLARIS WATER MIDSTREAM, LLC | APOLLO SWD | DRILL | 2025-01-03 |
| 903178 | SURGE OPERATING, LLC | DEXTER SWD | DRILL | 2024-10-10 |
| 896218 | NGL WATER SOLUTIONS PERMIAN, LLC | HOWARD SNELL SWD | DRILL | 2024-01-02 |
| 896217 | NGL WATER SOLUTIONS PERMIAN, LLC | HOWARD SNELL SWD | DRILL | 2024-01-02 |
| 894861 | HIGHPEAK ENERGY HOLDINGS, LLC | GRIFFIN SWD | RECOMP | 2023-10-31 |
| 893408 | CROWNQUEST OPERATING, LLC | TUBB SWD | RECOMP | 2023-09-05 |
| 893117 | HIGHPEAK ENERGY HOLDINGS, LLC | INGRAM SWD | DRILL | 2023-08-24 |
| 891327 | H2O MIDSTREAM PERMIAN LLC | NEWTON 10 SWD | RECOMP | 2023-06-15 |
| 890127 | HIGHPEAK ENERGY HOLDINGS, LLC | WILL ED SWD | DRILL | 2023-05-12 |
| 890048 | HIGHPEAK ENERGY HOLDINGS, LLC | COLE SWD | DRILL | 2023-04-25 |
| 890003 | HIGHPEAK ENERGY HOLDINGS, LLC | EAST 350 SWD | DRILL | 2023-04-24 |
See all drilling activity in Howard County or statewide produced water & disposal activity.