Texas Produced Water Consortium
Joining the Charge
Created by Senate Bill 601 in 2021, the Texas Produced Water Consortium (TxPWC) was established to explore innovative ways to treat and reuse produced water — a byproduct of oil and gas development. In 2023, Senate Bill 1047 invested $5 million in the Consortium to advance its efforts.
New Leadership
Dr. Shane Walker serves as the new Director of the TxPWC and the Water and Environment Research (WATER) Center. Previously, Dr. Walker was a professor at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and Director of the Center fro Inland Desalination Systems (CIDS). He also contributes to the university as a professor by teaching courses such as physical/chemical treatment processes and design of advanced water treatment systems. His research focuses on advanced water treatment, specifically high recovery inland desalination, potable reuse, and treatment of produced water for beneficial uses. Dr. Walker holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University, M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental & Water Resource Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Oil & Gas Industry Trends – Rising number of companies now recycling 70-85% of produced water
Photo Credit: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/research/tx-water-consortium/leadership.php
Could produced water be a part of Texas’ future water budget?
Produced water has been around for decades, but recent challenges such as, increased water scarcity, changing regulations, and technological advancements, have heightened interest in innovative recycling, reuse, and treatment methods. These efforts aim to secure additional sources of water, or “new water”, for future use.
The Texas Produced Water Consortium (TxPWC) and other stakeholders are engaged in multiple pilot projects across the Permian Basin, each representing a broad range of water treatment capabilities. These studies serve as a foundational basis for future studies and positive momentum to finding achievable treatment solutions.
Figure 44. 2D map of the West Texas region showing the geographical features of the Delaware Basin (area A), the Midland Basin (area b) and the areas with major irrigation water shortfall through 2050 (C and D). The High Case production is considered. The geographical extents are determined from geologic interval data provided by Enverus. Source: “Beneficial Use of Produced Water in Texas: Texas Produced Water Consortium Report to the Texas Legislature 2024”, pg. 91
Defining a Purpose
With respect to beneficially using desalinated and polished produced water for land application, the Railroad Commission of Texas is working to defin safe, “fit-for-purpose” water quality for irriation. In January 2024, the RRC released a pilot study framework to support this effort. You can view the pilot project framework in depth here.
Challenges
Energy Demands for Desalination
Overall Treatment Cost Vs. Production
Achieving Quality Standards for Designated Use
True or False?
More water is used during the fracking process than what is extracted for use.
Economics
Obviously, everything comes with a cost, and treating water containing high levels of salinity (total dissolved solids) is no exception. Ongoing pilot projects continue to analyze produced water quality, explore cost-effective treatment methods, and evaluate energy demands necessary for treatment. Cost reduction options may be possible when carbon capture and sequestration is paired with ecosystem restoration and crop propagation land applications. Read more about the project here, starting on page 31.
Impact
How does 500 million gallons per day or over half a million-acre feet per year sound? Sounds good, right? Those numbers represent an estimated amount of potential water that could be generated for beneficial use! With thos volumes, thousands of acres of native grasslands could be restored leading to a domino effect of stacked benefits. Desalinated produced water from the Permian Basin has the potential to impact water availability from the Pecos River to the Rio Grande. To learn more about this project and the positive impact it could have on future groundwater resources, refer to Section 9.6 on page 89 of the report linked here.
FALSE!
In certain locations within the Permian Basin, six barrels of water to every one barrel of oil is extracted.
Reports from last year show 60% more productivity due to water recycling.
Stakeholders & Partnerships
Another responsibility of the Consortium is to work with state and federal regulatory agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and the Railroad Commission (RRC), providing continuous review of data and analyses of produced water treatment capabilities, achievable qualities, and providing permitting process recommendations. Additionally, TxPWC works in coordination with the Government Advisory Council, Stakeholder Advisory Council, and an extensive network of stakeholders, partners, and paid members.
Groundwater Conservation Districts
TxPWC is interested in partnering with groundwater conservation districts across the state to gain a deeper understanding of the local aquifer systems, water quality, and groundwater management challenges. These relationships are important to ensuring that any future uses of desalinated produced water support local groundwater resources.
Figure 28. A cross-section of the Delaware Basin, Central Platform Basin, and Midland Basins: three sub-basins of the Permian Basin, displaying the geological intervals considered in our study. Source: “Beneficial Use of Produced Water in Texas: Texas Produced Water Consortium Report to the Texas Legislature 2024”, pg. 78
This article was enhanced and reviewed by TxPWC staff.