New Data: Water Use in Hydraulic Fracturing a Key Risk in Water-Stressed Regions in Texas and Colorado

Water Use Per Well Doubles Even as Production Declines, Increasing Wastewater Disposal Risks

New Ceres research, released today via an interactive map, shows that 57 percent of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells over the past five years were in regions of high water competition, particularly in Texas and Colorado, creating significant long-term water sourcing risks for communities, companies operating in these regions, and their investors.

“Even with the slowdown in oil and gas production, hydraulic fracturing is potentially heightening the competition for water resources in many of the country’s most water-stressed regions,” said Monika Freyman, director, Investor Initiative, Water Program at the nonprofit sustainability group Ceres, who led the water use research effort.  “Oil and gas companies face increasing water risks in key basins, and investors and banks financing this activity should be pressing harder on their strategies for managing these water risks.”

Read more at New Data:  Water Use in Hydraulic Fracturing a Key Risk in Water-Stressed Regions in Texas and Colorado