The surge in water production across the Permian Basin is being met with a rising focus on recycling and reusing that water. Amanda Brock, CEO and president of Aris Water Solutions, expressed her optimism: “We are very encouraged. We continue to see the entire industry embrace efforts to reuse produced water.”
Aris Water Solutions has partnered with companies like Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Coterra to develop technologies that treat produced water for various uses, including aquifer recharge, agricultural irrigation, and other industrial applications. “Everyone is focused on the fact that we have drought. West Texas is dry. Texas is a growing state. No one wants water to be a limiting factor,” Brock emphasized. The industry is beginning to understand that produced water could be a valuable resource, provided it can be treated safely and efficiently.
Drew Dixon, senior vice president of land, legal, and regulatory at Aris, highlighted that while technologies exist to treat challenging water sources like those from uranium mines, the main issue lies in the cost of scaling up. Produced water can be corrosive and must be treated safely, cost-effectively, and consistently—a challenge the industry has made significant progress on. “We believe we’ve made great strides. Our challenge is ensuring we provide enough assurance as an industry that we can deal safely with produced water,” Dixon said. He pointed out that the water Aris treats is clean enough that fish thrive in it, and it has even been used to grow cotton and irrigate crops. “People hear about produced water and have this image in their minds, but universities, consortiums, and technology companies are working to change that perception.”
Adrianne Lopez, technical research and development manager at Texas Pacific Water Resources, shared that her company is ready to expand its Midland County pilot project into a larger field-scale operation along the Pecos River. They plan to use treated produced water to irrigate non-food crops and discharge water into the river, pending permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Railroad Commission. Robert Crain, executive vice president of Texas Pacific, agreed that while the technology is available, the lack of a solid regulatory framework remains a challenge. “There’s not a true, firm regulatory framework, but we’re getting there. No one has large discharge permits yet. We need a framework for reliable discharge volumes,” Crain said.
Lopez and Crain emphasized their open-door policy, with Lopez noting that organizations like the Sierra Club and Commission Shift have visited or plan to visit their pilot project. “We want input from all stakeholders,” she said. The rise in seismic activity has been linked to increased water injection, and Crain acknowledged that the industry is shifting from deep injection to shallower methods. “Everyone knows we have to get to beneficial reuse,” Crain said, adding that this shift is not just about addressing seismicity but also about managing limited pore space.
Mike Dyson, CEO of Infinity Water Solutions, echoed the sentiment, noting that over the past 18 months, the industry has increasingly recognized the need for beneficial reuse of produced water. Dyson pointed to upcoming legislative sessions in Texas and New Mexico, expecting that produced water recycling and reuse would be a major focus. He emphasized that the effort requires more than just private enterprise—it also needs a supportive regulatory framework. Without such a framework, investors may be hesitant to put money into the research and infrastructure needed to advance reuse and recycling efforts.
“If we don’t figure out how to manage water efficiently, the industry runs the risk of not being able to optimize oil and natural gas development,” Dyson warned. “For states like Texas or New Mexico, where 50% to 60% of the state budget comes from oil and gas, this is about more than just industry—we’re talking about a significant impact across the entire state.”
