Water drilling curbs for oil, gas may be delayed
Industry opposes restrictions on wells in Ogallala Aquifer
SANTA FE — After an industry outcry, Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn is considering delaying implementation of a policy aimed at curbing how much water oil and natural gas producers take from a massive aquifer that lies beneath New Mexico’s eastern plains.
Dunn, a Republican, said earlier this week he’s been surprised by heated reactions to the policy, which would allow oil and gas producers to use water from the Ogallala Aquifer for their drilling operations on state trust land only in certain circumstances.
He said he might delay the planned July 1 implementation date to give oil and natural gas companies more time to prepare.
“I don’t see that we’re stopping oil and gas development — there’s a lot of other water out there,” Dunn said in a recent interview. “I’m just trying to do what’s right.”
Instead of drilling into the aquifer for water, Dunn said, he wants oil and gas companies to drill deeper down to tap a nonpotable underground water source — called the Capitan Reef— though he acknowledged that could be more expensive.
The Ogallala Aquifer is a giant underground reservoir that stretches from New Mexico to South Dakota and has been steadily lowered in recent years, due primarily to agricultural operations.
Many eastern New Mexico cities, including Clovis and Portales, rely on the aquifer as a drinking water source.
The new policy, announced in a letter last month, will allow water easements for oil and gas producers to be renewed or approved only after a hydrological review.
That sparked criticism from some oil and gas producers, as well as from Eunice Mayor Matt White, whose city sells some of its water to the industry for hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Rep. David Gallegos, R-Eunice, said many area
residents and businesses were taken aback by the policy, because they were not consulted before it was announced. He also said delaying its implementation would be a “fair” move.
“Oil and gas is a minor player compared to agriculture,” Gallegos told the Journal.
There are more than 100 easements on state trust land that authorize the drilling of water wells from the Ogallala Aquifer, according to the State Land Office. The office does not have jurisdiction over such wells on private land.
Overall, more than 2 billion gallons of water was extracted from state trust land in the 2016 budget year, according to the Land Office, though not all of that water was taken from the Ogallala Aquifer.
New Mexico Oil & Gas Association Executive Director Ryan Flynn said the oil and gas producers care about water conservation, and said the industry uses less than 1 percent of available water statewide for its drilling and fracking operations.
Flynn, a former state Environment Department secretary, said the industry wants Dunn to consult top state officials on the matter, saying, “It’s our hope the commissioner is working closely on this important issue with the appropriate stakeholders.”