Reusing Produced Water To Irrigate Crops

A group in Kern County, CA, is working on a project that would expand the amount of produced water reused to irrigate crops.

The partnership between county petroleum producers and local farmers is seeking grant money for the project. "The Kern Tulare Water District has applied for a $7.5 million federal grant to help pay for an $18 million reservoir and pipeline system that would store and convey 6,000 acre feet per year of produced water," the Bakersfield Californian reported.

The California Independent Petroleum Agency, which is helping with the proposal, said the partnership will continue to seek funding even if the grant proposal is not successful.

Using produced water for irrigation is nothing new.

"For decades Chevron has sent 30,000 acre feet per year of produced water from the Kern River oil field to the Cawelo Water District, which uses it to grow almonds and pistachios. One acre-foot is 325,850 gallons of water, or enough water to cover a football field 1 foot deep," the report said.

But given the ongoing drought, backers say it is more important than ever to invest in approaches like this. "The water district estimates the project could save the three oil producers and 90 participating farmers $3.5 million annually. Some of that would result from lower transportation and disposal costs," the report said.

This project means farmers and energy groups work together, despite their water demands having sometimes pitted them against each other in Kern County.

Kern County "is home to the North Belridge and South Belridge oil fields, the country’s sixth largest oil areas. A lot of the production in the Belridge fields has come from fracking," The Guardian reported. "The region, near Bakersfield, also is home to half of the country’s carrot crop and 40 percent of its pistachio production...These two industries are in direct competition for water."

Safety is always a concern when it comes to produced water reuse, even when companies reuse the water on their own properties.

Concerns from environmentalists are growing as "companies increasingly skip off-site treatment and instead reuse their own liquids by diluting them or treating them on-site," the Daily Item reported. These critics want regulators to keep a closer eye on what companies are doing by collecting more data.

According to Matthew Mantell, who prepared a presentation for the EPA on produced water reuse while serving as an environmental engineer at Chesapeake Energy, this practice has numerous benefits.

The oil and gas industry "is reducing the volume of freshwater used in operations [and] reducing the need to compete with other freshwater users," his presentation said, noting that the environmental and economic benefits of the practice may directly correlate.

For more oil and gas news, check out Water Online's Produced Water Solution Center.