An Overview of Current and 

Projected Shale and Tight Gas 

Water Use in Texas: Implications 

for Local Water Resources

Jean-Philippe ‘JP’ Nicot 

Bureau of Economic Geology

Jackson School of Geosciences

The University of Texas at Austin

Technical Workshop #4 for the Hydraulic Fracturing Study:

Water Resources Management

Arlington, VA – March 29-30, 2011
2

Bureau of Economic Geology

A few numbers....

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

Municipal

Manufacturing

Mining

Steam-electric

Livestock

Irrigation

Water Use (MAF/yr)

TWDB Projections Yr 2010

Mining = ~200 MAF

Total = ~18,300 MAF

1 MAF = 1,000 AF = 326 million Gal.
3

Bureau of Economic Geology

A few numbers....

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

Municipal

Manufacturing

Mining

Steam-electric

Livestock

Irrigation

Water Use (MAF/yr)

TWDB Projections Yr 2010

Mining = ~200 MAF

Total = ~18,300 MAF

2010 Mining Water Use:

Oil and Gas = ~60 MAF

Coal/Lignite = ~25 MAF

Aggregates = >50 MAF

Others= ~10 MAF

1 MAF = 1,000 AF = 326 million Gal.
4

Bureau of Economic Geology

A few numbers....

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

Municipal

Manufacturing

Mining

Steam-electric

Livestock

Irrigation

Water Use (MAF/yr)

TWDB Projections Yr 2010

Mining = 270 MAF (?)

Total = ~18,300 MAF

Mining:

Oil and Gas

Coal/Lignite

Aggregates

Others

0

10

20

30

40

50

Drilling

Completion

EOR

Water Use (MAF/yr)

Current FRESH-WATER USE
5

Bureau of Economic Geology

A few numbers....

0

10

20

30

40

50

Drilling

Completion

EOR

Water Use (MAF/yr)

Current FRESH-WATER USE

FRESH-WATER USE 20 years ago

0

10

20

30

40

50

Drilling

Completion

EOR

Water Use (MAF/yr)
6

Bureau of Economic Geology

>30,000 wells fraced

in the past 5 years

Nicot et al., 2011
7

Bureau of Economic Geology

Nicot et al., 2011

>30,000 wells fraced

in the past 5 years

BARNETT SHALE

HAYNESVILLE SHALE

SHALES

BOSSIER SHALE

WOODFORD SHALE

BARNETT SHALE

EAGLE FORD SHALE

PEARSALL SHALE
8

Bureau of Economic Geology

>30,000 wells fraced

in the past 5 years

BARNETT SHALE

HAYNESVILLE SHALE

SHALES

TIGHT GAS

Granite wash, Cleveland, Marmaton

BOSSIER SHALE

Cotton Valley,

Travis Peak

Wolfberry

Canyon Sands

Vicksburg,

Wilcox

Olmos

WOODFORD SHALE

BARNETT SHALE

Nicot et al., 2011

EAGLE FORD SHALE

PEARSALL SHALE
9

Bureau of Economic Geology

2008 = ~36,000 AF

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Barnett Sh.

Haynesville Sh.

Eagle Ford Sh.

Woodford/BarnettPB/Pearsall Sh.

Anadarko TG

East Texas TG

Permian Basin TG/TO

South Texas / Gulf Coast TG

Water Use (Thousand AF)
10

Bureau of Economic Geology

2010 = ~45,000 AF

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Barnett Sh.

Haynesville Sh.

Eagle Ford Sh.

Woodford/BarnettPB/Pearsall Sh.

Anadarko TG

East Texas TG

Permian Basin TG/TO

South Texas / Gulf Coast TG

Water Use (Thousand AF)
11

Bureau of Economic Geology

In 2010

Barnett Shale:

~50% of water use

Permian Basin

~16%

Eagle Ford

~14.5%

Haynesville Shale:

~6.5% of water use

East Texas TG:

~4.5% of water use

Anadarko Bas. TG:

~6% of water use
12

Bureau of Economic Geology

From Devon Energy, 2006

BARNETT VERTICAL - STATISTICS

Raw data from IHS
13

Bureau of Economic Geology

From Devon Energy, 2006

BARNETT HORIZONTAL - STATISTICS

Raw data from IHS
14

Bureau of Economic Geology

A few numbers.... PRELIMINARY RESULTS

WORK IN PROGRESS

Nicot et al., 2011
15

Bureau of Economic Geology

A few numbers.... PRELIMINARY RESULTS

WORK IN PROGRESS

0

50

100

150

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060

Calendar Year

Water Use (thousand AF)

O&G Shale Gas Tight Fm. Waterflood Drilling

Nicot et al., 2011
16

Bureau of Economic Geology

Barnett Shale

Hill

Bell

Clay

Ellis

Erath

Jack Wise

Llano

Milam

Falls

Mills

Burnet

Coryell

Dallas

Coleman Brown

Young

Cooke

Mason

Parker

Baylor Archer

Denton

Bosque

Tarrant

Knox

San Saba

Callahan Eastland

Williamson

McLennan

McCulloch

Collin

Grayson

Stephens

Haskell

Palo Pinto

Montague

Hamilton

Wilbarger

Comanche

Wichita

Johnson Hood

Kimble

Foard

Menard

Lampasas

Gillespie Lee

Shackelford

Taylor

Concho

Throckmorton

Travis

Navarro

Burleson

Robertson

Blanco

Somervell

Rockwall

Brazos 1

0 10 20 40 60 80

Miles

Trinity Aquifer

Fort Worth

No large aquifer

Core area
17

Bureau of Economic Geology

Backscattered

Electron 

Image

Pyrite

Calcite

Dolomite

Barite

Albite

Macrofracture Close-Up Quartz

Backscattered

Electron 

Image

Pyrite

Calcite

Dolomite

Barite

Albite

Macrofracture Close-Up Quartz

Total groundwater 

use

High use estimate

Barnett Shale GW use

2005-2007:

~50% GW - ~50% SW

Accurate figures are

very hard to come by

Bene et al, 2007
18

Bureau of Economic Geology

Eagle Ford wells

Carrizo-Wilcox footprint

Data from IHS
19

Bureau of Economic Geology

Carrizo-Wilcox:

Historical drawdown 

to 1980 (irrigation)

Kelley et al., Intera, 2004
20

Bureau of Economic Geology

Wade and Jigmond, TWDB, 2010

Carrizo-Wilcox, drawdown and recovery 

projections to 2060 - no shale gas water 

supply wells (exempt use) included 
21

Bureau of Economic Geology

•Recompletions:

– not clear if happening at a large scale

•Reuse / Recycling:

– Not all plays have large flow back

– It is the trend, but economics?

•Standard sources: groundwater, lakes and 

rivers, municipal water 

•Alternative sources:

– Rain water collected in stock ponds

– WWTP reclaimed water (municipal and industrial)

•Develop additives effective at higher salinity

•Develop less water-intensive techniques 

The Future