issues and opportunities in evaluating water sources for oil and gas operations wade oliver, pg...
TRANSCRIPT
Issues and Opportunities in Evaluating Water Sources for
Oil and Gas Operations
Wade Oliver, PGGerry Grisak, PG
Houston and T.C. Railroad Co. vs. East
1904 Texas Supreme Court “…the existence, origin, movement, and course of such waters, and the causes which govern and direct their movements, are so secret, occult, and concealed that an attempt to administer any set of legal rules in respect to them would be involved in hopeless uncertainty, and would, therefore, be practically impossible.”
Groundwater Data Sources
• TWDB Groundwater Database– Most detailed – 138,000 wells
• TWDB Submitted Drillers Reports Database– After 2001– 336,000 wells
• TCEQ Drillers Reports– Before 2001– 800,000+ wells?– Limited location data
• Groundwater Availability Models• BRACS Database and Studies• Texas Railroad Commission
Disposal Wells• Geophysical Logs from BEG, RRC,
and Commercial Sources• Groundwater Conservation
Districts• Published Reports
*Basic Groundwater Hydrology:Heath (1983) – WSP 2220
http://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/wsp2220
Confining Unit
Confining UnitUnconfined Aquifer (fresher)
Confined Aquifer (brackish)
Types of Aquifers
One Aquifer – Two Types
Unconfined Confined
Northwest Southeast
Measured Water Level
MajorAquifers
Carrizo-Wilcox
Gulf Coast
MinorAquifers
Yegua-Jackson
Queen CitySparta
Gulf Coast Aquifer Geochemistry Study
GroundwaterConservationDistricts
GCDs, DFCs, MAGs, GAMs, GMAs, RWPGsGroups of groundwater districts in 16 groundwater management areas decide every 5 years on management goals (desired future conditions) for next 50 years. These goals are used to define groundwater availability throughout TX.
Drilling or Exploration Operations ExemptionLaw related to whether wells for hydraulic fracturing require a permit is ambiguous and unevenly applied throughout the state.
Rig Supply Water Wells
2001 - 2007 2008 - 2013
Source: TWDB Submitted Drillers Reports
Water WellsExceeding1000 mg/L TDS
Percent of Fresh Water Usefor Hydraulic Fracturing
by County for 2011
McMullen (55%)La Salle (17%)
Dimmit (24%)
Karnes (31%)DeWitt (18%)
Sources:TWDB Water Use Survey• Total Est. GW and SW UseNicot and others (2012)• HF Water Consumption• Does not include brackish
or recycled/reused water
Opportunities
• Benefit from better understanding of groundwater source options
• Deeper brackish resources– Less impact on local fresh water supplies– Increased understanding of brackish aquifers
• Cooperation with GCDs– Can benefit both GCDs and O&G companies– Data sharing (well logs, water production, water quality,
etc.)– Jointly funded studies?
