Texas review of hydraulic fracturing water use and consumption

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) has a long history in the state of Texas where are located (1) several established plays, such as the Barnett Shale, (2) plays of recent interest, such as the Eagle Ford or the Wolfcamp, and (3) older plays being revisited such as the Wolfberry or the Granite Wash. We compiled current water use for year 2011 (about 82,000 acre-feet) and compared it to an older analysis done for year 2008 (about 36,000 acre-feet). A private database compiling state information and providing water use is complemented by a survey of the industry. Industry survey is the only way to access fresh water consumption estimated to be only a fraction of the total water use because of reuse of flowback water, use of recycled water from treatment plants and produced water, and use of brackish water. We analyzed these different components of the HF budget as well as their source, surface water vs. groundwater, with a focus on impacts on aquifers and groundwater resources.