Groundwater Protection Council report evaluates reuse potential for water produced by oil, gas wells

Groundwater Protection Council report evaluates reuse potential for water produced by oil, gas wells

Oil and gas operators produce about 900 billion gallons of water from their wells per year, with about 55% of that disposed of by those operators. But in an environment where a changing climate and growing populations are putting pressure on available freshwater supplies, operators and regulators alike are rethinking the economics and long-term sustainability of traditional produced-water management practices. A report issued Monday by the Groundwater Protection Council evaluates those trends, promotes potential ways produced water might be appropriately reused and examines challenges associated with that goal. A key question that must be answered, the report states, is whether reusing produced water in some parts of the country could be the right thing to do in cases where its beneficial use would outweigh costs to manage, treat, store and move produced water around. Read the entire story in the Oklahoman HERE.