Water Requirements and Sustainable 

Sources in the Barnett Shale

James ―Rusty‖ Werline

Senior advisor, well completions

EPA HF Technical Workshop

March 29, 2011
NYSE: DVN www.devonenergy.com page 2

Introduction

• Devon’s water requirements in the Barnett Shale

• Water use in Texas and the Barnett Shale 

• Water sources available to Barnett Shale operators 

• Devon’s water management/sustainability initiatives
Water requirements in the 

Barnett Shale
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Water requirements

Drilling

• Each Barnett Shale well requires 

about 6,000 barrels (252,000 

gallons) of freshwater for the 

drilling process.

− This represents about 6% of the 

total water use per well.

• This water is mixed with 

bentonite clay to create the 

―drilling mud.‖

• Some of the drilling mud may be 

reused multiple times. 
NYSE: DVN www.devonenergy.com page 5

Water requirements

Completions

• Typically 6-10 stages for horizontal Barnett Shale wells

• Approximately 4 million gallons of freshwater required per well

• Represents 94% of the total water requirement for a Barnett Shale well
Water use in Texas and the 

Barnett Shale
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Competing water uses

Texas estimates

Percent of total Fort Worth water use 

in 2005 by Barnett Shale operators:

• Groundwater 2.5 %

• Surface water 0.2 %

• Total freshwater 0.5%

Total water use projected to rise to a 

maximum of 2% during peak drilling 

activity

Livestock

1.9%

Irrigation

62.0%

Steam Electric

14%

Mining

0.5%

Manufacturing

7.2%

Municipal & 

Industrial 

32%

SOURCE: Texas Water Development Board 2008 Annual Water Use Survey

Competing water uses - Texas
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Water use in the Barnett Shale

By major water user groups, 2008

Municipal - 86%

Manufacturing - 3%

Mining/O&G drilling - 3%

Steam electric - 1%

Irrigation - 4%

Livestock - 3%

Source: Texas Water Development Board
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Devon in the Barnett Shale

Parker

Palo Pinto Hood

Tarrant

Johnson

Erath

Hill 

Jack

Wise Denton

Ft. Worth

Highly

Urbanized

Denton Primary

504,000 Net Acres

Emerging

85,000 Net Acres

Devon’s Position Devon Completions 

Year Wells

2006 314 

2007 469

2008 584 

2009 298 

2010 420 
NYSE: DVN www.devonenergy.com page 10

Devon’s 2010 water use

in the Barnett Shale

Completion requirements

• Horizontal wells fractured (420) 41.3 Million Bbls

• Vertical wells refractured (150) 4.5 Million Bbls

• Total 45.8 Million Bbls

Sources

• Surface water 11.5 Million Bbls

• Groundwater 32.3 Million Bbls

• Recycle water 2.0 Million Bbls
NYSE: DVN www.devonenergy.com page 11

Monthly frack volumes

• Month/year 08/2008 01/2011

• Stages 292 202

• Wells 64 29

• Stages per well 5 7

• Water required 222,600,000 gallons 117,600,000 gallons

• Water required 5,300,000 Bbls 2,800,000 Bbls
Water sources 

in the Barnett Shale
NYSE: DVN www.devonenergy.com page 13

Devon’s Barnett Shale

Water use sources 

• Groundwater sources

− Devon permitted water well withdrawal

− Landowner permitted wells

• Surface water sources

− Permitted withdrawal from Trinity River (Tarrant Regional Water 

District)

− Permitted withdrawal from Brazos River (Brazos River Authority)

− Purchased municipal water supplies

− Surface use agreement — landowner ponds

− Permitted withdrawal from local streams and impoundments 

(TCEQ)

• Recycled water

− MVR (Mechanical Vapor Recompression) units
NYSE: DVN www.devonenergy.com page 14

Groundwater from Trinity Aquifer

• Barnett Shale extent 

(blue)

• Trinity outcrop (solid 

green)

• Trinity subcrop 

(stippled light green)

Structural boundaries of 

the Barnett shale
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Surface water map

Source: Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission (TNRCC). 
NYSE: DVN www.devonenergy.com page 16

Mobile heated distillation units

Devon’s water recycling locations

Wise

Denton

Parker

Tarrant

Hood

Johnson

Devon has four units operating at 

one strategic location:

 Spain (SE Wise Co.)

Past locations:

 Johnson Ranch (E Wise Co.)

 Godley (W Johnson Co.)

 Circle R (W Johnson Co.)

 Dove Hill (SW Denton Co.)

 McCurdy (SW Denton Co.)
NYSE: DVN www.devonenergy.com page 17

Devon recycling facility

Freshwater storage and completion activity
Water management/sustainability 

initiatives in the Barnett Shale
NYSE: DVN www.devonenergy.com page 19

Recycled water with MVR

Devon and Fountain Quail Water Management

• Devon evaluated several different 

technologies to treat Barnett Shale 

flowback water and Fountain Quail’s 

MVR unit was the most feasible.

• Approved by the Railroad Commission 

of Texas in 2005.

• Implemented in 2005. 

• Vaporizes flowback water and 

condenses it into clean, distilled water

• Remaining concentrated brine removed 

for disposal

• 2,500 Bpd flowback water capacity with 

approximately 2,000 Bpd of freshwater 

generated 
NYSE: DVN www.devonenergy.com page 20

Water sustainability 

Barnett Shale flowback analysis

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10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

100000

0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000

TDS (PPM)

Cumulative flowback (Bbls)

Barnett flowback analysis

Denton County South Denton County North Johnson County
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Before and after pre-treatment
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Devon’s water sustainability

Distillate recovery — MVR
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January 2011 recycling statistics

Cost and production report

Recycling statistics:

– Feed water 305,415 Bbls

– Freshwater produced 213,547 Bbls

– Concentrate produced 91,868 Bbls

– Efficiency 70%

The economics of this technology is heavily dependent on:

− Trucking and disposal costs

− Fresh water costs

− Proximity of recycled water to future wells

− Treatment cost
NYSE: DVN www.devonenergy.com page 24

Water recycling results 

• 22,500 bbls per day at peak

• 13.9 million barrels 

processed (584 million 

gallons)

• 10.8 million barrels of 

distilled water generated 

(454 million gallons)

• 100+ wells fracked with 

recycled water Ellenberger

Barnett Shale
Thank You. 
.08 

Water Requirements and Sustainable Sources in the Barnett Shale 

James “Rusty” Werline, PE

Devon Energy 

The statements made during the workshop do not represent the views or opinions of EPA. The 

claims made by participants have not been verified or endorsed by EPA.

This paper will focus on the water requirements and sustainable sources in the Barnett Shale. 

Devon Energy Corporation understands that water is a needed resource for its business as well 

as an essential part of the ecosystem. Water is vital to the health, social and economic wellbeing of communities in which we live and operate. Our success relies on executing a 

sustainable water management strategy that balances ecological, economic, operational and 

social criteria. Devon is committed to the principles of water conservation and reuse where 

feasible in its operations. 

Background

The Barnett Shale is located in the Fort Worth Basin in North Texas. This paper will focus on 

Devon’s water requirements, water use and water sources in the Barnett Shale. This paper also 

will discuss Devon’s water management and sustainability initiatives in the Barnett Shale. This 

paper focuses on an area covering six counties in North Texas. Devon operates more than 4,500 

wells in the basin and produces approximately 1.2 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas per day. 

Devon is the largest producer of natural gas in the Barnett Shale and one of the largest 

producers of natural gas in Texas. 

Devon’s Water Requirements in the Barnett Shale

Devon currently is drilling with 13 rigs in the Barnett Shale. Each well requires approximately 

4.3 million gallons of water for the drilling and completion process. Ninety-six percent of the 

total water required for a Barnett Shale well is used for fracture stimulation. Generally, fracture 

stimulations in the Barnett Shale for horizontal wells are performed in six to 10 stages. Peak 

drilling activity for Devon was in 2008, when 584 wells were completed. The following table 

shows the number of wells completed in the Barnett Shale during the past four years by the 

industry and specific to Devon’s operations (Table 1).

2007 2008 2009 2010

Industry wells 2,536 3,084 1,627 1,876

Devon wells 469 584 298 420

% Devon 18.5% 18.4% 18.3% 22.4%

Table 1. Number of wells completed in the Barnett Shale during the past four years by industry 

and specific to Devon's operations 
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In 2010, Devon completed 420 horizontal wells requiring 41.3 million barrels of water and 

refractured 150 vertical wells requiring 4.5 million barrels of water. Of the water used, 11.5 

million barrels were obtained from surface water sources, 32.3 million barrels were derived 

from groundwater sources and 2 million barrels came from Devon’s recycling initiatives. As 

horizontal drilling technology has improved, Devon is drilling longer laterals in the Barnett Shale 

resulting in an increase in the number of fracture stimulation stages required to complete each 

well. The increase in stages requires additional water used on a per well basis; however, fewer 

wells will now be needed to develop equivalent gas reserves in the field. This should result in 

more efficient water use. 

Water Use in Texas and the Barnett Shale 

Mining water use in Texas, in which oil and gas activity is included, represents only a small 

fraction of total water use in the state. Mining water use in the Texas Water Development 

Board (TWDB) annual 2008 water use compilation for the entire state resulted in only 0.5 

percent relative to the total of the other water use categories including municipal, 

manufacturing, steam electric, irrigation and livestock. Overall, in 2008 the mining industry in 

Texas used approximately 139,000 acre-feet, including 35,800 acre-feet for fracture stimulating 

wells (mostly in the Barnett Shale/North Texas area). Water use in the Barnett Shale was 

approximately 25,000 acre-feet.1 Figure 7 represents the water usage in the Barnett Shale in 

2008 as per the TWDB. 

The 2007 TWDB Water Plan that utilized water-demand surveys and projections estimated 0.27 

million acre-feet as the demand for mining, compared to about 17.60 million acre-feet of total 

water use in 2010, equating to about 1.5 percent of the state water demand. Combining all 

water uses in the state, projections suggest that peak mining water use will occur in the 2020-

2030 decade at approximately 250,000 acre-feet. Total mining use percentage is never 

expected to exceed 1.5 percent relative to total water use and oil and gas use is never expected 

to exceed 0.6 percent for any of the decades from 2010-2060.1 

The basin-wide fraction of total fresh water resources used by Barnett natural gas producers in 

2005 was estimated to be approximately 0.5 percent in comparison with all other users and 

uses. This was projected by TWDB to rise to approximately 2 percent during the year of peak 

Barnett drilling activity.2 

 

1

TWDB, 2011, Current and Projected Water Use in the Texas Mining and Oil and Gas Industry, Draft

2

Galusky, Jr. L.P. 2009. Fort Worth Basin/Barnett Shale Natural Gas Play: An Update and Prognosis on the Use of 

Fresh Water Resources in the Development of Fort Worth Basin Barnett Shale Natural Gas Reserves
.08 

Water Sources Available to Barnett Shale Operators

Groundwater Sources 

Devon produces groundwater from permitted water wells in the Trinity Aquifer. In many cases, 

these water wells are available for use by landowners. The Trinity ranges in depth from 600-

1,400 feet. The Trinity Aquifer outcrops in the western part of the basin and the subcrop is from 

the west to east (Figure 8). The production volume from a single water well may range from 50-

250 gallons per minute. Devon stores the groundwater in centralized earthen containments 

prior to fracturing a well. The basin-wide fraction of groundwater resources used by Barnett 

natural gas producers in 2005 was estimated to be approximately 2.5 percent in comparison 

with all other users and uses. 

Surface Water Sources 

Devon also utilizes surface waters for development of the Barnett Shale. These surface waters 

are obtained with surface-use agreements from local landowners, permitted withdrawals from 

river authorities, purchase agreements with municipal water suppliers and permitted 

withdrawals from local streams and impoundments regulated by the Texas Commission on 

Environmental Quality. The basin-wide fraction of surface water resources used by Barnett 

natural gas producers in 2005 was estimated to be approximately 0.2 percent in comparison 

with all other users and uses. 

Recycled Water

Devon also utilizes recycled water processed with mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) units 

operated by Fountain Quail Water Management. Fountain Quail currently has four units 

operating for Devon with a capacity to process 8,000 to 10,000 barrels of water per day. 

Water Management and Sustainability Initiatives in the Barnett Shale

Devon recycles flowback water with a MVR evaporation process developed by Fountain Quail. 

MVR evaporation is an energy-efficient process that produces distilled water from flowback 

water that contains dissolved solids. The dissolved solids remain in solution and are removed 

from the system as a concentrate and disposed in permitted deep wells. The distillate recovery 

is based on the feed water’s TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) (Figure 9). 

This recycling initiative was implemented in the Barnett Shale in 2005. Fountain Quail currently 

has four units operating for Devon, with capacity to process approximately 8,000 to 10,000 

barrels per day. Each MVR unit has a 2,500 barrel per day capacity. Devon utilized up to nine 

units during peak drilling activity in 2008, with the capability of processing 22,500 barrels per 

day. Devon has generated a total of 10.8 million barrels (454 million gallons) of distilled water, 

which is enough water to fracture stimulate more than 100 wells. With TDS removal, the water 

can be stored in centralized earthen containments and pumped via temporary piping to nearby 

fracture stimulation jobs with little environmental risk. 

Flowback water composition dictates the volume an operator can economically recycle and 

what type of recycling methods may be technically feasible for use. Figure 10 illustrates how 

the TDS values change as a well is produced after fracture stimulation. As the TDS values 
.08 

increase, the opportunities to efficiently recycle may decrease. Figure 10 also shows how 

flowback composition changes in different areas of a shale play. With the MVR process that 

Devon utilizes, the best efficiencies are realized when the TDS value is 70,000 parts per million 

or less. 

There are several challenges in implementing a water sustainability and management program 

within a shale gas play. A few of these include technology limitations, maintaining an adequate 

supply of flowback water for treatment, sustained demand for recycled water, transportation, 

logistics and costs, construction of storage facilities, regulatory barriers in permitting and public 

education. Because the Barnett Shale area has several low-cost Class II saltwater disposal 

opportunities that allow operators to efficiently dispose of flowback and produced water, 

developing and implementing a cost-competitive sustainability program using recycling proves 

challenging. 

Devon is constantly working at this challenge and researching new ideas to recycle water from 

natural gas shale development. 
.08 

Municipal - 86%

Manufacturing - 3%

Mining/O&G drilling - 3%

Steam electric - 1%

Irrigation - 4%

Livestock - 3%

Figure 7. 2008 Barnett Shale Water Use Summary Estimates 
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Figure 8. Trinity Aquifer 
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Figure 9. MVR Evaporator Recovery Based on Feed Gravity for NaCl Brine
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Barnett Flowback Analysis

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60000

70000

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90000

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Cumulative Flowback (bbls)

TDS (PPM)

Denton County South Denton County North Johnson County

Figure 10. Barnett Flowback Analysis