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The practice of fracking has been criticized in
the state, which is suffering from a drought so severe that
Governor Jerry Brown announced the first-ever mandatory 25
percent statewide reduction in water use on Wednesday.
Despite pressure from environmentalists, Brown has not called
for a halt to fracking in the state, saying it is not a major
drain on water supplies.
“Hydraulic fracturing uses a relatively small amount of water –
the equivalent of 514 households annually” per well, said Steven
Bohlen, the state oil and gas supervisor.
About 100,000 gallons of water is used on average per well, he
said.
Previous industry estimates said that fracking used about 100
million gallons of water in California a year.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, occurs when water and some
chemicals are injected deep underground at high pressure to
break up rock and release oil and gas into wells.
Environmentalists argue that fracking is an unwise use of water,
given the state's ongoing, multi-year drought. They also say it
has the potential to contaminate fresh drinking water supplies.
Bohlen said that not all of the water used for fracking is fresh
water. Some portion of it is “produced” water, or water that
comes to the surface during oil drilling that is not suitable
for drinking or agricultural use.
The industry brought 387,000 acre-feet of produced water to the
surface last year, Bohlen said. Of that, two-thirds was put back
into the aquifers from which it came or was used to produce more
oil through drilling techniques including steam flooding and
cyclic steam injection.
The remaining third was put into underground injection,
evaporated in surface ponds, or cleaned up for beneficial use,
he said.
About 25,000 acre-feet of produced water is used for beneficial
use in the San Ardo, Cawelo, and Arvin water districts, he said.
A law passed last year requires oil producers to report the
sources of water used in all oil and gas extraction as well as
where the water goes.
The first data report is due April 31 and will be made public
soon after, Bohlen said.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Ken Wills)
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