With the topic of water conservation moving into the national and international spotlight, the water usage of North America’s oil and gas shale development boom is being scrutinized as experts examine the issue. Some researchers are quick to point out that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is one of the most water-intensive energy activities; others point out that fracking consumes far less water than power plants do.

Operators developing shale plays use between two and six million gallons of water per well when they frack, said an official with the research and consulting firm Synapse Energy Economics. Frank Ackerman, an environmental economist with the Cambridge, MA-based firm, said fracking is one of the most water-intensive energy activities, along with coal-fired power generation and nuclear energy. On average, the report estimated that water consumption for natural gas produced through fracking ranges from 0.6 to 1.8 gallons of water per MMBtu.

In addition to production, water is used in the processing and transportation of gas, he said. And water consumption “increases significantly” when gas is converted to liquefied natural gas.

The Synapse report said that on an average day, water withdrawals across the nation amount to an estimated 85 billion gallons for coal-fired power plants, 45 billion gallons for nuclear plants and 7 billion gallons for natural gas plants, and significant amounts of water are used for fossil fuel extraction, although the amount per day was unavailable. The report was commissioned by the Newton, MA-based think tank Civil Society Institute.

Approximately 50% of shale wells are being fracked in areas that are “considered to be already water-stressed,” Ackerman said in response to a question from NGI’s Shale Daily. “We can and we should reduce water use.” The nation needs to think “long and hard about less thirsty” ways of producing energy, he said.

Frost & Sullivan Energy and Environment Industry Analyst Ankur Jajoo pointed out that the North American unconventional shale industry is looking for a solution.

“Not only oil and gas, but all industrial manufacturing processes are looking closely to save operating costs, focusing mostly on reducing water consumption,” Jajoo said in a recent research note. “For the supply of oil and natural gas, the driving environmental challenges associated with freshwater consumption, contaminated water disposal and drinking water contamination has taken the energy and power industry by surprise. Though this is not the first instance the oil and gas industry is facing challenges, the limelight has shifted significantly from the power generation industry, which in fact consumes far more water in power plants than in oil and gas operations.”

Citing Nuclear Energy Institute data from November 2012, Jajoo said nuclear plants consume 1,120 gallons per megawatt-hour produced, while coal-fired plants consume 1,014 gallons/MWh and gas-fired plants require 470 gallons/MWh.

“Of course, using natural gas is by no means completely perfect, as it still requires the extraction through hydraulic fracturing, which consumes large volumes of water and produces carbon dioxide emissions when burnt,” Jajoo said. “However, the benefits of using natural gas at this stage far outweigh using coal or nuclear as a fuel in power plants.”

Water usage by industry is currently being looked into on a state to state basis. While water use for fracking in drought-stricken Texas is considered modest when compared to other uses, such as for agriculture, where the water is drawn from is a significant consideration, according to an analysis this past spring by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) (seeShale Daily, April 17).

EDF found that the majority of water used for Texas oil and gas development in 2011 was in 13 counties, 10 of which currently have water restrictions in place. In 12 counties, water use for oil and gas activities accounted for at least 25% of county-wide demand in 2011.

EDF urges greater adoption of water recycling by the oil and gas industry. Some of the most popular alternative water sources for the oil and gas industry include brackish (or salty) water, treated flowback water from fracking and reclaimed water from public wastewater treatment plants. The Railroad Commission of Texas recently adopted new rules to stimulate water recycling among oil and gas operators (see Shale Daily, March 27). Even before that, an update conducted last year of a Texas water use study found that oil and gas producers have been recycling more of the water they use for fracking (see Shale Daily, Jan. 18).

As for Synapse’s Ackerman, he’s not a big supporter of fracking. “I don’t know that it can be done right.” He said he remains a “little agnostic” on the issue.”There are a lot of ways to do it [fracking] wrong.” The groups plan to release a proposed water order for President Obama later this month, Ackerman said.