FINDING NON-POTABLE GROUNDWATER SOURCES FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING IN THE PERMIAN BASIN

Using fresh water resources to hydraulically fracture in the Western US has raised concerns regarding water allocation within the community. Within the Permian Basin an average of 1.1 million gallons of water is used to fracture and drill each oil and gas well, and 87% of oil and gas wells located in high or extreme water stress areas, creating a need to find alternative water sources for production use. Motivated by these concerns, the objective of this research is to identify non-potable groundwater sources that can be used to hydraulically fracture in the Permian Basin. The NATCARB (National Carbon Sequestration) database was used for water chemistry data; including concentrations of major ions, total dissolved solids (TDS) and pH values. After performing a quality assurance of the data, the geochemical composition of formation waters in the Permian Basin was characterized. Sodium chloride is the most dominant water type across the basin. Eight major geologic units were analyzed further based on number of data points and rock types: San Andres Fm, Strawn Fm, Artesia Group, Grayburg Fm, Canyon Fm, Clear Fork Fm, Glorieta Fm, and Delaware Mountain Group. We evaluated water chemistry variations between units by using data plotting and standard statistical methods. Water chemistry in these units is variable, especially with regard to TDS. For example, the Delaware Mountain Group has a median TDS value of 212,300 ppm while the Grayburg Fm has a median TDS value of 65,300 ppm. The next objective of this research is to identify non-potable groundwater sources that have appropriate water quality for fluid injection using geochemical modeling methods. This study provides valuable information regarding the conservation of freshwater resources while maintaining unconventional energy production and the nexus between water and unconventional energy.