Recycling Barnett shale water

Whenever I go out wilderness camping, the phrase minimum impact always is foremost in my mind. My earnest hope is that when I leave a camp site, nobody else could come along and know that I had been there.

I was reminded of this philosophy during the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission’s annual meeting in Santa Fe, NM, where the IOGCC handed out its stewardship awards for the year. The phrase environmental footprint was used frequently in the awards brochure.

IOGCC recognized Devon Energy Corp. for its water recycling program on the Barnett shale. Devon contracts with water treatment and recycling companies to conserve what IOGCC calls "millions of barrels of water" annually.

This is water produced when a well is fractured. Retrieved frac water is loaded with dirt, hydrocarbons, and chemicals. Typically frac water is put into disposal wells but Devon treats its dirty water at mobile water treatment plants. These plants also filter this water.

“Although these initiatives don’t provide a tangible increase to Devon’s bottom line, the company is committed to water conservation because of its vision of corporate social responsibility and beliefs in setting the bar high for other operators in the industry because it is the right thing to do,” the IOGCC said.

A quick Internet search indicated that Newfield Exploration also contracts with a water recycling services company. I would be interested in finding out how many oil companies do this, and I’d also like to find out about the costs involved.