David Fehling, of the Houston Public Media, reports that the latest data out in 2015 shows nearly half the State of Texas remains in a drought. Which is why a hearing at the Texas Legislature took on even more importance.
Drought continues to be a critical issue especially in North Central Texas and parts of South Texas. That is some of the very same areas where oil and gas drilling has boomed. A significant coincidence because drilling uses the technique called fracking, which can require up to 4 million gallons of water per well.
But just how much water is the oil and gas industry using? At a hearing held jointly by the House Natural Resources and the House Energy Resources Committees, members of the commission that regulates drilling, the Railroad Commission of Texas, said the average is just 5% of the total water used by communities.
But lawmakers listening to the testimony said, hold on. Is it really just a few percent, wondered Rep. Tracy King? They have used that figure often to defend the industry against claims they are wasting water. But then when you start looking very locally... And when King looked locally where he is from ... Dimmitt County in South Texas, one of the hottest drilling spots ... he estimated total water usage there to drill for oil was way more than 5%, which one of the state regulatory commissioners, Ryan Sitton, confirmed.
It is going to be around 40%, Sitton testified. The state regulators told lawmakers they have put new rules into effect to encourage drillers to recycle water but they did not know how much actually was being re-used. Lawmakers said they had heard drillers in some other states were recycling as much as 90% of their water, while estimates in Texas were as little as 5%.
Resource Portal for I2M Clients, Associates, and Geoscientists
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-