Produced Water: A Texas Sized Issue

Challenges & Opportunities

Produced water is a byproduct of oil and gas extraction composed of a complex mix of water, salts, minerals, and chemicals. It may be several times saltier than seawater and can carry toxic substances like arsenic and benzene. Legally, produced water in Texas belongs to mineral owners, as determined by a 2023 Texas Court of Appeals ruling; however, that may soon change. The case highlights produced water’s growing value as a resource, especially as advances in treatment technology make its reuse more feasible. Funding for Texas water resources is intended to support water availability, including industry wastewater reuse.

Scale of Produced Water

In the Permian Basin alone, over 168 billion gallons of produced water are generated annually with multiple barrels recovered for each barrel of oil.

Oil and gas operators typically dispose of produced water through reinjection (Texas had over 13,500 disposal wells in 2022). The chemical complexity of the water, with its high salinity and variability, makes treatment for reuse both difficult and expensive. It is estimated that some 15 million barrels/day of produced water is reinjected in Texas.

Disposal and Reuse Options

Subsurface re-injection, while an intuitively practical form of disposal, has been pointed to as potential factor in recent West Texas earthquakes, reactivated wells, and pressure shifts in aquifers, prompting efforts to find alternative uses for the abundant byproduct. Recycling and desalination are gaining traction, but cost remains a barrier. Some operators are treating produced water to enable reuse in additional applications, reducing the need for fresh water.

Other organizations, like Texas Pacific Water Resources, are exploring the discharge of treated produced water into rivers under strict regulatory guidelines. The EPA has permitted treated produced water discharges into rivers and streams in states like Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and Texas, though environmentalists remain cautious about the potential impacts on human health and ecosystems.

Regulations & Research

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC), which oversees oil and gas production in the state, recently proposed new oil and gas waste management rules (comment period ends 15 October) to encourage produced water recycling. These permit changes aim to reduce reliance on underground injection, reflecting concerns about earthquakes and groundwater contamination. Pilot programs authorized by the RRC, in collaboration with the Texas Produced Water Consortium (TxPWC), explore innovative treatment technologies to recycle produced water for beneficial uses such as agriculture, power generation, and fire control.

Treatment & Recycling Challenges

The technical challenges of treating produced water are substantial: methods like reverse osmosis are energy-intensive and expensive. Additionally, the chemical complexity of produced water varies significantly, which could require tailored processes for each site and water source. Emerging technologies, such as the use of bacteriophages—viruses that target specific bacteria—could offer more cost-effective methods, as researched by the University of Texas at El Paso. A project at Texas Tech University just received $2M from the DOE for membrane-based water purification research. A Texas A&M University project seeks to recover valuable minerals from produced brine by using CO2.Produced water’s value in Texas depends on sustainable management. Growing interest in reuse, and research may convert produced water to a valuable resource.

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