Too much water might have caused sinkhole

DAISETTA, Texas, May 10 (UPI) -- A giant sinkhole in Texas might have been caused by a saltwater disposal company that was injecting too much saltwater into the ground, officials say.

The Houston Chronicle reported Saturday that the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates such permits, said the cause of the sinkhole in Daisetta had not been determined, but the company was pumping nearly double the amount of saltwater into the ground that it was allowed.

Commission spokeswoman Ramona Nye said there is "no proven link" between the sinkhole and Deloach Oil and Gas Wastewater Disposal Co.

The company was found to have violated its permit by dumping 128,000 to 192,000 barrels a month down its disposal well, while its permit allowed 90,000 barrels.

The newspaper said the company's disposal well is 200 feet from the massive hole that first emerged Wednesday and now stretches more than three football fields in diameter and is up to 200 feet deep.