Oil industry tries to escape water crunch
The U.S. oil industry has a double-edged problem: It’s running out of fresh water in one of the most productive U.S. regions while being overwhelmed by chemical-laced liquids. In some areas of the Permian Basin, nearly five barrels of briny water comes out of the ground for every one barrel of crude. Until recently, operators in the prolific region in Texas and New Mexico relied almost exclusively on reinjecting that liquid back into the ground or pumping it into open air waste pits. But after earthquakes were linked to reinjenctions — and water officials warned of dwindling freshwater and groundwater supplies in drought-stricken areas — states, oil companies and critics have been looking at ways to reuse this so-called produced water. That is raising concerns, however, of the long-term impacts of reusing produced water and its potential impact on groundwater.