NGWA Event and Education Recordings Archive

There is increasing concern about water constraints limiting oil and gas production using hydraulic fracturing in shale plays, particularly in semiarid regions and during droughts. Here we evaluate vulnerability of hydraulic fracturing comparing water demand for hydraulic fracturing with water supply in the semiarid Texas Eagle Ford play, the largest shale oil producer in the US. Current water demand for hydraulic fracturing (18 billion gallons, bgal in 2013) equated to an average of 16% of consumptive water use in the play area. Projected water demand for hydraulic fracturing of ~330 bgal with ~66,000 additional wells over the next 20 years equates to ~10% of historic groundwater depletion from regional irrigation. The extreme 2011 drought indirectly reduced HF water supply by increasing irrigation water use by 33 bgal in 2011. Estimated HF freshwater supplies include ~60 bgal/yr from recharge and 89,000 bgal from freshwater storage in aquifers, with land-owner lease agreements often stipulating purchase of freshwater. However, pumpage has resulted in excessive drawdown locally with declines of ~100–200 ft in 4% of the western play area. Non-freshwater sources include initial flowback water, which is ≤5% of water demand for hydraulic fracturing, limiting reuse/recycling. Operators report shifting to brackish groundwater with estimated storage of ~300,000 bgal. Comparison with the semiarid Permian Basin indicates increasing use of brackish groundwater and produced water from collocated conventional production. The variety of water sources in semiarid regions, with HF water demand representing ~0.1% of fresh and brackish water storage, indicates that with appropriate management, water availability should not physically limit future shale energy production.