Development of unconventional plays led to a rapid proliferation of the use of hydraulic fracturing, which has boosted US production rates. Yet, fracturing remains under intense scrutiny for various reasons, including water usage.
Many critics primarily blame industry's use of fracturing for an anticipated water shortfall in Texas by 2060. But even without fracturing, South Texas aquifers still would be massively overdrawn because of other water consumption-led by irrigation, said a 2014 report compiled by Texas A&M University's Bush School of Government and Public Service.
Some of the water stress in Texas stems from rapid population growth. During 2000-10, the number of Texas residents grew faster than any other US state. The state's population is expected to continue growing to reach 46.3 million by 2060 from 26.6 million as of 2014.
A 2012 state water plan forecast Texas could face a shortfall of 2.7 trillion gal of water/year by 2060. In response, the Bush School performed an economic and policy analysis to examine the link between fracturing and stress on water supplies within the Eagle Ford shale.
A typical Eagle Ford well is estimated to consume about 13 acre-feet (af)of water for a standard 5,000 ft lateral. About 90% of the water used for fracturing involves fresh water, primarily from the Carrizo-Wilcox, Sparta, and Queen City aquifers, the Bush School said, citing other Texas A&M researchers.
The Bush School report, written under the guidance of economics professor and faculty advisor James M. Griffin, was presented to Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick. During a phone interview with UOGR in late 2014, Griffin water is pulled from fresh aquifers in the Eagle Ford region at nearly 2.5 times their recharge rate.
He emphasized the fracturing is one of many type of water consumption along with irrigation, municipal use, power, manufacturing, and livestock.
Aquifer recharge rates
Researchers used water consumption statistics from the Texas Water Development Board, and annual recharge rates for each aquifer provided by Groundwater Conservation Districts (GCDs).
"Hydraulic fracturing operations now make up the third-largest use of groundwater in the area," the report said. "Irrigation still makes up more than half of all groundwater used in the Eagle Ford. The amount of groundwater being used for irrigation alone exceeds the recharge rate by more than 50%."
Bush School students said groundwater use for fracturing has increased each year since 2010 and accounted for 64,000 af/year or 12.5% of water used in the 21-county Eagle Ford region.
To help slow the pace of water use in Texas while continuing to support economic growth, the Bush School report suggests:
• Mandatory online reporting for all water uses, which would involve establishing a system for accurate, transparent reporting. Reports would be subject to spot checks.
• A "Green Star" designation for companies that limit their fresh groundwater use. The recognition could come from the Texas Railroad Commission or the Texas Commission in Environmental Quality. A three-tiered program was suggested, depending on the percentage of fresh groundwater used.
• Severance tax reductions for "Green Star" oil and gas companies that use brackish groundwater instead of fresh groundwater. Brackish water is available in abundant supply and is less expensive than recycled water.
Water reporting recommendations
Various types of water consumers currently fall under various reporting regulations in the state of Texas. A prerequisite to water policy is accurate information on water consumption by irrigation, municipal use, oil and gas, and other categories.
The Bush School said the RRC, beginning in February 2012, required that the volume of water used for drilling and fracturing be reported by barrels used for each well. But the requirement does not stipulate that the type of water-surface water, fresh groundwater, brackish groundwater, or recycled water-be identified. The requirement also does not stipulate details be provided on the water well.
The Bush School recommended that the water type be reported along with the water well location and depth. It also called for more accuracy and coordination of data gathering.
"For example, the water usage reported to the RRC had numerous errors while the respondent may have entered barrels instead of gallons," the report said. "Out of 6,752 wells reported, our analysis indicated there were 3,002 wells with either implausible volumes of water used for hydraulic fracturing or with missing data."