produced water
What Is Produced Water?
“Produced water” is water that returns to the surface as wastewater during oil and gas production. The water typically contains hydrocarbons from the deposit as well as naturally occurring toxic substances like arsenic and radium, salts and chemical additives injected into the well to facilitate extraction. These additives include carcinogens and numerous other toxic substances […]
Read MoreOhio Environmentalists, Oil Companies Battle State Over Dumping of Fracking Wastewater
Ten years ago, Tim Kettler asked local officials to stop spreading liquid waste from fracking on the road near his home in Warsaw, Ohio, because he was worried that the fluid would contaminate a pond where he gets his drinking water. They complied with his request, but the practice continues in many other places across […]
Read MoreAwash in Toxic Wastewater From Fracking for Natural Gas, Pennsylvania Faces a Disposal Reckoning
Gillian Graber considers herself an “accidental activist,” a stay-at-home mom who learned in 2014 that a gas company wanted to drill wells 2,400 feet from her house on the eastern outskirts of Pittsburgh and had a vague notion that fracking that close would be dangerous for her two young children. She started reading everything she […]
Read MoreTexas Eyes Marine Desalination, Oilfield Water Reuse to Sustain Rapid Growth
Texas legislators are poised to recommend designating billions of dollars in public funds for controversial water purification technologies, including marine desalination and oilfield wastewater treatment, to meet the growing demand for water across the drought-stricken state. The Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 28, introduced by State Sen. Charles Perry, an influential Republican from dry, […]
Read MoreFracking Waste Gets a Second Look to Ease Looming West Texas Water Shortage
Fracked wells in West Texas don’t just produce petroleum. Much more than anything else, they spit up salty, mucky water. Typically, companies have discarded that fluid, hundreds of millions of gallons per day, by injecting it back underground, occasionally causing small earthquakes. But as water becomes more scarce, they’re beginning to reconsider. For now, hydraulic […]
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