Shale Gas Water Management Marcellus & Utica Congress 2022
As development in the Marcellus shale region once again accelerates, wastewater treatment remains a key challenge as the current infrastructure is stretched to its limitations. The region’s sustainability necessitates both long-term solutions and short-term answers to meet today’s obstacles. Only ten approved disposal wells in Pennsylvania are currently operational or accept oil and gas waste, thus most of the wastewater is shipped to Ohio, which has over 200 brine disposal wells. Moreover, recent links between brine injection and induced seismicity in Ohio and growing competition for wastewater disposal sites from Utica shale development will likely reduce storage space accessible to PA operators. In the future, there may also be fewer chances to reuse produced water in developing new wells. When the amount of produced water exceeds the demand for internal reuse, producers in the region will be forced to look for opportunities for external reuse, which usually requires desalinizing produced water.
Oil and gas operations are commonly found in remote locations far from company headquarters. Now, it's possible to monitor pump operations, collate and analyze seismic data, and track employees around the world from almost anywhere. Whether employees are in the office or in the field, the internet and related applications enable a greater multidirectional flow of information – and control – than ever before.
