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Evaluating the Feasibility of Using Produced Water from Oil and Natural Gas Production to Address Water Scarcity in California’s Central Valley

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  • Measrainsey Meng

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA)

  • Mo Chen

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA)

  • Kelly T. Sanders

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA)

Abstract

The current California drought has reduced freshwater availability, creating tensions between water users across the state. Although over 518 million m 3 of water were produced during fossil fuel production in California in 2014, the majority was disposed into Class II injection wells. There have been few attempts to assess the feasibility of using produced water for beneficial purposes, due in part to the difficulties of accessing, synthesizing and analyzing data regarding produced water quality and quantity. This study addresses this gap and provides a techno-economic assessment of upgrading produced water from California’s oil and natural gas activities and moving it to adjacent water-stressed regions. Results indicate that the four population centers facing the greatest water shortage risk are located in the Central Valley within a 161 km (100 mile) radius of 230 million m 3 of total treatable produced water. This volume can supply up to one million people-years worth of potable water. The cost of desalinating and transporting this water source is comparable in magnitude to some agricultural and local public water supplies and is substantially lower than bottled water. Thus, utilizing reverse osmosis to treat produced water might be a feasible solution to help relieve water scarcity in some drought-stricken regions of California.

Suggested Citation

  • Measrainsey Meng & Mo Chen & Kelly T. Sanders, 2016. "Evaluating the Feasibility of Using Produced Water from Oil and Natural Gas Production to Address Water Scarcity in California’s Central Valley," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:12:p:1318-:d:85124
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kelly Twomey Sanders, 2016. "The energy trade-offs of adapting to a water-scarce future: case study of Los Angeles," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(3), pages 362-378, May.
    2. Stuber, Matthew D., 2016. "Optimal design of fossil-solar hybrid thermal desalination for saline agricultural drainage water reuse," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 552-563.
    3. Gude, Veera Gnaneswar, 2015. "Energy storage for desalination processes powered by renewable energy and waste heat sources," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 877-898.
    4. Mary E. Clayton & Ashlynn S. Stillwell & Michael E. Webber, 2014. "Implementation of Brackish Groundwater Desalination Using Wind-Generated Electricity: A Case Study of the Energy-Water Nexus in Texas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-21, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Udayan Singh & Lisa M. Colosi, 2019. "Potable Reuse of Coalbed Methane-Produced Waters in Developing Country Contexts—Could the Benefits Outweigh the Costs to Facilitate Coal Transitions?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-18, December.
    2. Echchelh, Alban & Hess, Tim & Sakrabani, Ruben, 2020. "Agro-environmental sustainability and financial cost of reusing gasfield-produced water for agricultural irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    3. Echchelh, Alban & Hess, Tim & Sakrabani, Ruben & Prigent, Stephane & Stefanakis, Alexandros I., 2021. "Towards agro-environmentally sustainable irrigation with treated produced water in hyper-arid environments," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).

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