Beneficial use of produced water outside the oil and gas industry: Development of a screening, testing, and evaluation framework to address stakeholder needs and concerns.

Need: Produced water, naturally occurring water that exists in subsurface formations co-mingled with oil and gas (O&G), is brought to the surface in extremely large quantities during O&G production. In 2019, roughly 385 billion gallons of produced water were generated in New Mexico (NM) and Texas (TX) alone. These large volumes pose logistic and economic challenges for the O&G industry that can limit energy production; but produced water also represents an opportunity for water users if managed properly.

Freshwater is often taken from local aquifers for hydraulic fracturing and/or O&G exploration, which puts further stress on already strained freshwater supplies for local communities. Ideally, produced water would be reused within the O&G field to reduce freshwater use; however, produced water generation typically exceeds reuse demands. Excess produced water is typically disposed of by deep well injection. In many areas, such as NM and TX, the subsurface formations are not suitable for injection or are nearing capacity, highlighting that disposal is becoming increasingly limited and the need for beneficial use outside of O&G fields.

Excess produced water generation combined with freshwater limitations have led to an interest in the treatment and beneficial use of produced water but have also sparked growing concerns among water users related to water quality and environmental safety.

Regulations for produced water reuse outside the O&G field are state-specific with limited applicability because of technical knowledge gaps between treatment capability, beneficial use requirements, and environmental impacts. This project will address those gaps.

Strategy and expected outcomes of this project:

1. Development of a screening, testing, and evaluation framework to assist Reclamation’s stakeholders. Pilot testing will be conducted at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF) and will be used to calibrate the framework. Reclamation stakeholders and the NM Produced Water Research Consortium (Consortium) will serve as an advisory board to provide feedback to improve the framework.
2. We expect the framework to support Pecos River and other stakeholders in viewing treated produced water as a benefit, not a risk, to reduce the on-going conflicts between the O&G industry and water users in the area and foster relationships between stakeholders in the area