OPTIONS FOR WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

John Veil*

Argonne National Laboratory
955 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
Suite 6000
Washington, DC 20024
Voice: 202-488-2450
Fax: 202-488-2413
E-mail: jveil@anl.gov

Zdravko Spiric
INA-Naftaplin
Zagreb, Croatia

Water is nearly always produced along with oil and gas. The water is generally not clean enough to be used directly and therefore has traditionally been considered as a waste. The cost of managing produced water can be substantial and often plays a role in determining the economic viability of a well. There are multiple approaches to managing produced water, although not all are technically applicable or acceptable under existing regulatory guidelines. This paper discusses the range of produced water management options, including underground injection for disposal, injection for enhanced recovery, discharge, beneficial reuse, and others. The paper includes estimates of the volume of produced water generated each year, the range of costs associated with produced water management, and the U.S. regulatory requirements associated with produced water management. There is also a discussion of the responsibility of the petroleum industry (with a focus on Croatia's INA-Naftaplin) to ensure that produced water is managed in an environmentally safe and responsible manner and to share scientific knowledge about underground water quantity and quality developed through the oil and gas exploration and production process.