Responsible water reuse is possible

Water is New Mexico’s most precious resource. We must ensure it is conserved and utilized to the greatest extent and encourage innovative technologies that result in safe, responsible water reuse. As directed by the 2019 Produced Water Act, state officials are working diligently to create a framework for water reuse through the Water Quality Control Commission rulemaking process.

All viable and safe options to address our declining water availability should be considered, including finding ways to safely use treated produced water. The oil and gas industry is truly one of the few industries capable of attaining “net positive” water balance by saving more freshwater than it uses. Achieving this is a win for all New Mexicans.

In New Mexico, oil and natural gas production uses less than 1% of the state’s annual freshwater consumption, while the vast majority of water continues to be consumed by individuals or other water-necessary industries.

Produced water is mostly naturally occurring, highly saline water brought to the surface as part of oil and gas production. Leading universities, such as New Mexico State, New Mexico Tech and Texas Tech, are on the forefront of treated produced water use research. Developments in water recycling technology show high-quality water can be extracted from produced water for appropriate and regulated reuse. With additional treatment, the water can be cleaner than some natural river ecosystems.

Currently, produced water is injected

back into deep subsurface formations as one of the few approved disposal methods. The reinjection of produced water can contribute to seismic events. Coupled with depleting water supplies, it is crucial to find ways to best utilize produced water.

Because of technological advancements, produced water could be used for industrial applications such as municipal landscaping, road construction and irrigation for nonedible agriculture like cotton. To ensure its safe utilization in approved applications, the use of any produced water will be extensively tested and monitored to guarantee it meets stringent water-quality standards.

Every gallon of treated produced water used for irrigation or industrial uses frees up a gallon of native freshwater.

Concerns that the oil and gas industry introduces per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — or PFAS — into its produced water are unwarranted. To be clear, the oil and gas industry is not a source of PFAS in produced water. A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey found PFAS concentrations in the Pecos River near Artesia (upstream of oil and gas fields) averaged 15 nanograms per liter. Water from the Pecos River downstream of oil and gas fields had the same or lower levels. The trace amounts of PFAS found in the surface water are introduced before water reaches the Permian Basin. The study also found PFAS levels in the Pecos River were lower than samples taken from the Rio Grande south of Albuquerque.

We urge state officials to make data- and science-based decisions in the upcoming Water Quality Control Commission hearing to ensure proper utilization of all our water resources, preserve our limited supply of freshwater for future generations and enable economic diversification. To learn more about the rulemaking and treated produced-water facts, we urge you to visit the Environment Department, the Water Quality Control Commission, NMSU, New Mexico Tech and Texas Tech sites to learn more the safe usage of produced water and its benefits to New Mexico’s future.