An upcoming report could usher in produced water’s transformation from a byproduct to a resource. According to the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC), a U.S. association of state ground water regulatory agencies, more than 90 percent of produced water – laden with salts, organics, metals, solids and other constituents – is reinjected into oil and gas reservoirs to enhance production or disposed in porous rock layers. Given freshwater supply constraints, particularly in drought-prone areas, GWPC members are developing a blueprint that they hope will aid in transforming produced water from a byproduct of upstream oil and gas operations into a resource that could offset freshwater demand both inside and outside the oilfield. “Let’s use fresh water for drinking and other water for industrial uses,” Dan Yates, GWPC’s associate executive director, said during a panel discussion Monday at the North American Gas Forum (NAGF), an annual event in Washington, D.C., […]