Frac Sand Mining and Its Potential Effects on Groundwater of the Monahans-Mescalero Sand Ecosystem, Permian Basin

Hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas in the Permian Basin requires not only water but also sand, often referred to as frac sand. Up until the end of the last oil and gas boom in 2014, much of the sand used in the Permian Basin was sourced from the upper Midwest, although local supplies of less-ideal Texas Brown Sand from the Brady area began making an appearance. Because transporting sand from the upper Midwest is expensive, constituting upwards of 65 percent of the cost for sand, engineers in the Permian Basin began experimenting with sands local to the Permian Basin and found them suitable to meet their needs at a much lower cost. Furthermore, hydraulic fracturing requires more and more sand per frac well, driving increasing demand for more cost-effective, local sands. These factors, along with recently rising oil prices, have created a boom in local frac-sand mining in the Monahans-Mescalaro Sand Ecosystem. With at least 15 frac-sand mining operations opening since April 2017, 10 of those are in Winkler County alone. Frac-sand mining generally requires water for mining operations, processing and sorting sand, and dust control. Accordingly, frac-sand operations have drilled more than 130 wells into local aquifers to meet their water needs with about half drilling 10 or more production wells per site. Frac-sand mining operations and their associated groundwater use have the potential to affect the habitat of the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard, a species proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act, as well as local water supplies for ranchers, irrigators, and towns.