A new and growing challenge for Permian oil and gas companies is handling and disposing of water. Much of the attention given to the Permian Basin nowadays hinges on growth in oil and gas activity, but the water business is expanding there as well to serve the energy sector. “The midstream water market is the newest trend,” said Dave Burnett, associate research scientist with Texas A&M University’s Department of Petroleum Engineering. “Businessmen acquire water rights and then sell to the drilling folks. (They) build pipelines and trade water.” In fact, earlier this year the University of Texas of the Permian Basin hosted an inaugural conference devoted to the region’s energy industry water usage needs . As a report on the conference by the Midland, Texas, newspaper put it, water will be the “next major market” for the region. “The pipeline issues are becoming pretty important – both for water […]