Western Water First in US to Use New Fracking Solution

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by | Dec 16, 2013

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iet logoWater supplier Western Water is the first in the US to use Integrated Environmental Technologies’ fracking disinfectant solution designed to leave no lasting impact on the environment and create a safer workplace by eliminating hydrogen sulfide, the leading cause of gas inhalation deaths among oil and gas workers.

The product is undetectable 90 days after use, EPA approved and cleans and protects oil equipment from corrosion, the company says.

The EPA has approved its use for frack water, sour wells, produced waters, water flood injection water and treatment of oil and gastransmission lines.

Limited available water resources, drought and increasing water-use demands from all segments of the economy is driving water management issues to the forefront of US oil and gas operations’ considerations and accounts for $8 billion in spending for water services in US fracking regions, according to a report from IHS.

An increasing number of oil and gas operations are reusing water. The practice is a boon to water companies that are helping drillers use less freshwater and dispose of less wastewater.

For instance, Fasken Oil and Ranch in West Texas now uses 90 percent recycled water for hydraulic fracturing, putting the company 10 percent away from its goal of not using any freshwater for fracking.

Recycling permits applications in Texas rose from less than two a year in 2011 to 30 approved in fiscal year 2012. The spike in requests led the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees oil and gas operations, to change the rules in March, eliminating the need for drillers to get a permit if they recycle on their own lease or on a third-party’s property.

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