WSPA: Fractured Wells Do Not Use Millions of Gallons of Water
The total amount of water used in the 568 hydraulic fracturing operations reported in 2012 was slightly less than 66 million gallons—or 202 acre feet. On average, agriculture uses 34 million acre feet of water annually and cities and towns consume slightly less than 10 million acre feet annually. “There is a large variation in the amount of water used for hydraulic fracturing, according to FracFocus,” the association comments. “The smallest amount of water used was 6645 gallons. The largest amount was 1.5 million gallons. Only two hydraulic fracturing operations reported on FracFocus in California in 2012 used more than one million gallons. FracFocus data shows 97% of the hydraulic fracturing that was reported for California took place in Kern County.
Further, WSPA provided some facts about water use in the state. Again, while the average amount of water used to hydraulically fracture an oil well in California in 2012 stood at 16,535 gallons, the average amount used by a four-person family in a year is 146,000 gallons. The amount of water needed to irrigate a golf course in a single day is 312,000 gallons. The amount of water used in California for hydraulic fracturing in California in 2012 was 202 acre feet. The amount used for municipal purposes in Kern County in 2011 was 400,000 acre feet, and the total for growing food and fiber in Kern County in 2011 was 2.7 million acre feet. Finally, the amount of water produced along with oil and natural gas in California in 2011 was 121.8 billion gallons.
“Oil and natural gas producers in California are experts at managing large amounts of water—much larger than the amounts needed for hydraulic fracturing,” WSPA emphasizes. “Vast amounts of water are produced along with oil from deep underground reservoirs or formations. According to the California Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources (DOGGR), 196 million barrels of oil were produced in Kern County in 2011 and 2.9 billion barrels, or 121.8 billion gallons of water, came with them. After producing oil in Kern County and elsewhere in California for more than 100 years, oil companies have a tremendous amount of skill and expertise at safely handling, using, and disposing of this so-called ‘produced water.’”
The association explains that both hydraulic fracturing fluids and produced water are handled in accordance with California’s water quality regulations. Disposal of both are subject to permit requirements. For example, produced water and hydraulic fracturing fluids must be stored either in enclosed tanks or lined ponds to prevent leakage to groundwater. They must be tested regularly to determine if they meet state and federal hazardous material criteria and disposed of accordingly. About 60% of produced water is disposed of in 25,000 injection wells that are under permit and regulated by DOGGR. The remaining produced water is either recycled for enhanced oil recovery purposes or treated and sold for agricultural use.
(SOURCE: The Weekly Propane Newsletter, December 18, 2017)
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