Fracking for oil and gas—a water intensive drilling technique—continues at a rapid pace despite the West’s severe drought.
Fracking for Oil and Gas Consumes Significant Water
- Water is a scarce resource throughout the Rocky Mountain West. This has not slowed water consumption by oil and gas companies who expend between 1 million and 5 million gallons of water to drill and frack almost every new well.[i]/[ii]
- In 2011, 3,128 new oil and gas wells were started in Colorado.[iii] Assuming each new well requires an average of 3 million gallons of water for fracking—midway between 1 million gallons and 5 million gallons—then nearly 9.5 billion gallons of water was consumed by industry that year.
- In New Mexico there were 1,368 new oil and gas well started during 2011.[iv] Again, assuming each well requires 3 million gallons of water then industry consumed over 4.1 billion gallons of water during the year.
- Water used for fracking is considered 100 percent consumptive, which means that none of the water is returned to the stream.[v] A large percentage of the other common water uses—for example, drinking water and irrigation—is returned to rivers and reused by downstream water users.
- Rather than recycling and reusing spent frack water, industry typically disposes of the wastewater by injecting it into deep underground wells or letting it evaporate in open waste pits.
- A recent analysis by Western Resource Advocates established that the water expended by fracking in Colorado could sustain 79,000 families for a year.
Water Scarcity in the Rocky Mountain West
- This summer’s record drought reminds us, once again, how exposed the West’s people and economies are to water scarcity. More than 60 percent of the contiguous United States is experiencing moderate to severe drought, the worst since the 1950s.
- Almost the entire Western United States is suffering from the drought, with many areas experiencing record high temperatures, while receiving less than 70 percent of average precipitation.[vi]
- It is widely expected that the West will experience more frequent and more intense drought in the coming century.
- Responsible oil and gas development is contingent upon industry minimizing wasted water and maximizing water use efficiency. This includes water recycling and reuse, in addition to perfecting waterless fracking techniques.
- Oil and gas companies should disclose the amount of water consumed during fracking, along with the rates of water reuse and recycling.