Strategies for Sustainable Water Transport 

Lessons Learned in the Marcellus 

Applied to the Niobrara 

Tommy L. Wilkerson – Presenting 

Produced Water Reuse Initiative 2013 

Denver, CO 

October 30, 2013 
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Strategies for Sustainable Water Transport 

! Infrastructure Integration: Shared rightsof-way and techniques for using gas pipelines 

to move water 

! Buying Local: Environmental, social, and 

economic benefits of local water purchasing 

and pipeline systems 

! Maximizing Pipeline Utilization: Storage 

Pits that reduce supplemental trucking through 

scheduling and infrastructure planning 

! Recycling of Produced Water: 

 Marcellus Results and Niobrara tests 

! Novel Water Record Keeping Method:

 Using a paperless water tracking system 
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Shared ROWs and Pipelines 

Multiple pipes in ROW: 

– Gas 

– Fresh water 

• Overland and buried 

– Produced/flow-back 

Mid-stream collaboration 

Water transfer using gas lines 
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Pit and Pipeline Construction in Colorado 
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Filling a Newly Constructed Pit in Colorado 
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Water Transfer Through Gas Lines 

Gas Line 

Overland 

Jumper 

Future 

Regional 

Waterline 

2.33 mi of 6” FlexSteel 

No Air Valves 
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Sustainability Overview 

– Environmental, social, and economic benefits (triplebottom-line) 

– Economy exists within Society, and both exist within 

the Environment 
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Strategies to Buy Local – One Example 

16 M gal 

! 90 M gal fresh water 

! 16 M gal Impoundment 

! Electric pump with VFD 

! Buried 10” line from water 

source to impoundment 

– 2,500’ new ROW 

– 1,200’ parallel midstream 

– 1,800’ shared 

! Temp. overland water lines 

! Average pad size 330’ x 330’ 
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Life-Cycle Analysis 

Trucking 

– 66 mi round-trip 

– $100/hr

– 4 miles/gal fuel 

– Larger pads 

– Incremental road repairs 

– Additional frac tank rental 

and mobilization 

Diesel Pump 

– $5/gal diesel 

– 140 hp @ 500 gal/min 

– Fuel truck access 

– Pump resale 

Electric Pump 

– Pump/VFD (200 hp) 

– Power line and 

electrician 

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Produced Water Treatment Options 

Water Treating is a function of operational mode 

– Fracing vs. not fracing 

Frac Model 

– Pretty clear option – water is reused in company wells 

– Treatment procedure 

• Water is filtered to 25 microns, Gels broken 

• Diluted with fresh water to TDS levels that are 

– Compatible with frac chemicals 

– Sufficient to prevent scaling 

– Cost - $0.95/bbl 

Non Frac Model 

– Options are not so clear 

• Long term storage for use in future fracs – filter and dilute 

• Conventional subsurface disposal 

• Treatment with final disposition 
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Produced Water Treatment Solutions 

Frac Crew Not Operating 

Long term storage for use in future fracs 

– Cost is about $1.95/bbl/mo 

Conventional subsurface disposal 

– Available in Colorado 

– Must be sent to disposal well by truck 

– Cost $4 to $5/bbl 

– Pricey, but problem solved 

Treatment Options 

– Many exist 

• Chemical flocculation 

• Evaporative Methods 

• Filtration – RO 

• Electrocoagulation 
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Electrocoagulation 

Widely used for the treatment of wastewater for decades 

Basic principle 

– In the EC process, the coagulant is generated insitu by electrolytic oxidation 

of an appropriate anode material 

– Charged ionic species - metals or otherwise are removed by reaction with 

oppositely charged ions reducing the electrostatic repulsion 

– Result 

• Precipates out 

– Ions (heavy metals) 

– Colloids (organic and inorganic) 

Advantages 

– EC requires simple equipment and is easy to operate 

– Sludge formed by EC tends to be readily settable and easy to de-water 

– The EC process avoids uses of chemicals other than Acid and Sodium 

Hydroxide to change Ph 

– High volume and small footprint 

– Water processing is GOOD ENOUGH FOR FRAC 
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EC Water Treating Process 

EC Process 

Weir Tank 

and 

Retention 

Tanks 

Cuttings Bin 

with Filter 

Screen 

Truck Water 

In 

Dirty Water Water and 

coagulated Solids 

Solids 

Sludge 

Solids Trucked to 

drill site mix with 

cuttings 

Truck to 

 frac site 

Water 

Dirty Storage 

Frac Tanks 

Clean 

Storage Frac Tanks 

Crushed 

Glass 

Filtration 

Water 

Clean 

Water 
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Typical Analytical Results From EC Unit 
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Actual Average Treating Costs 

 Treating Costs (barrels/month) 

 30,000 45,000 60,000 

Amortization of Capital Costs 

– 12 months $8,333 $8,333 $8,333 

Fixed Cost $/month $39,310 $39,310 $39,310 

Trucking In $45,000 $67,500 $90,000 

Processing $45,000 $67,500 $90,000 

Trucking Out $45,000 $67,500 $90,000 

Total $182,643 $250,143 $317,643 

Average Cost/bbl $6.08 $5,55 $5.29 

Electrocoagulation Economics 
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Record Keeping on Water Movement 
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WaterGo App-patent pending 

Hand Held Scanner 
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WaterGo App-patent pending 
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WaterGo App-patent pending 
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WaterGo-patent pending 
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WaterGo App-patent pending