Maximizing Efficiency and 

Safety When 

Moving Water

Ryan Mastowski

OCTOBER 31, 2012
RFI

• Founded in 2008 

• More than 30 million gallons processed 

from the Northeastern Shale Plays 

• Own and operate our own treatment 

systems
Efficient Water Management

• The History

• The Demand

• Safety and Efficiency

• Solutions
The History
Marcellus Shale Gas Basics

• The first oil well in the world was 

drilled in Titusville, Pa. in 1859 by 

Edwin Drake 

• Exploration of the Marcellus Shale will 

extend into areas where there has 

been no history of such activities
Production Steps –

Hydraulic Fracturing

• > 60 years: more than 1 

million wells drilled in 27 

states

• 90 percent of oil and gas 

wells use hydraulic 

fracturing technology

• 99.5 percent water/sand 

mix

• 3 to 5 million gallons of 

water per well fractures 

the shale

• Well casing protects 

water supply
United States Shale Gas Plays
Wet vs. Dry Gas
The Demand
Actual Water Use Data*

Total water withdrawn 

• 716.0 Million Gallons (mgal)

• 209.2 mgal from public water 

supply (29%)

• 506.8 mgal from surface water sites 

(71%)

Average total volume of fluid used per well

• 3.3 mgal/well

• Average fresh water used per well = 

2.8 million gallons

• Average flowback reuse per well = 

0.5 million gallons
Actual Water Use Data*

• Maximum reported use = 6.1 mgal

• Average recovery of fluids = 10:0% (first 

30 days)

• Total amount of flowback reused or sent 

to disposal

• Reuse = 44.1 million gallons

• Disposal= 21 million gallons

*220 wells reported (June 1, 2008-May 21, 2010)

Susquehanna River Basin Commission

www.srbc.net
Production Steps – Hydraulic Fracturing

Water and Sand: 

~ 99.25%

Typical Northern Marcellus Deep Shale Gas Fracturing Mixture

Other: ~ 0.75%

Acid

Friction Reducer

Scale Inhibitor

Iron Control

Corrosion Inhibitor

Antibacterial Agent
Where Pennsylvania is Now: 

Water Usage and Management

5,930

1,680 1,550

268 182

30

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

Power

generation

Industrial Public water

systems

Other Mining Marcellus

Shale

Drilling

Millions of Gallons per Day

General approximation for illustrative purposes

Susquehanna River Basin total water demand

According to the Gas Technology Institute
Anatomy of a Frac Site

Data Monitoring Van

Well Heads

Pump Trucks

Blender

Chemical Storage

Working Water Tanks

Sand Storage Units

Tanks of filtered water for re-use
Safety and Efficiency
Safety

• Routine equipment inspections

• Protective measures

• Preventative measures

• Continuing education
The Human Aspect

• Visual transfer 

inspections

• Daily equipment 

inspections

• Stop Work 

Authority

• Proper training
Obey the Rules of the Road

If it doesn’t seem safe, it probably isn’t...
Trucking Costs

• Expensive water transfer costs

• ~$100/hour/truck

• ~100 bbls/truck average

• $1/bbl/hour
Trucking Costs

• ~120,000 bbls/frac required

• Reduction in downtime = reduction in 

costs

• Typical round trip = 2-3 hours per truck

• ~$1 million dollars per day
Maximize Efficiency

• Reduce travel distances from source to 

frac

• Infrastructure investment 

• Reduced time onsite

• Proactive water management
Solutions
Advanced Water Planning

• Stay ahead of the curve

• Source location planning

• Approved truck routes (NO GPS!)

• Engage local law enforcement

• Centralized infrastructure
Planning for the Unplanned

• Winter operations

• Preemptive infrastructure 

improvements

• Safety training for field staff

• Contingency plan for cold weather 
Planning for the Unplanned

• Public perception

• Safety training for field staff

• The human aspect
Water Recycling and Reuse Plans

• High quality reuse water

• Fresh water blending necessary

• Reduced trucking to permanent 

facilities from remote wells
Conserving Natural Resources

• 15-30 percent of fluids used are 

returned

• Beneficial reuse compared to disposal

• Reduced fresh water demand

• Mobile systems setup on location 
Flowback Reuse Strategy

• Part of the overall solution

• Environmental conservation

• Cost effective solution to flowback 

management

• Easily integrated into water 

management plan
Contact Information

Ryan Mastowski, EIT

724-366-2160

rmastowski@rettew.com

Special thanks to our clients, The Marcellus Shale Coalition, and RETTEW for providing several images used 

in this presentation.