Heckmann Corp. has begun transporting fresh water to hydraulic fracturing (fracking) customers in the Haynesville Shale through a partially completed pipeline. When the system is completed, it will be the largest fresh water pipeline in the Haynesville area, the company said.

The pipeline is to be 40 miles long when fully operational next year with a capacity of 60,000 b/d. Initial orders in December are expected to be about 16,000 b/d. The pipeline is accessing water from the Red River and will ultimately also be able to deliver water from the Sabine River.

Heckmann said it “has several strategically located reservoirs along the pipeline to provide large quantities of fresh water to meet the peak frack water requirements of…customers. The combination of the 40-mile pipeline with multiple sources of fresh water, strategically placed reservoirs, and [Heckmann’s] ability to move water to customer locations with temporary transmission lines or trucks, provides a comprehensive, cost-effective and reliable solution for [Heckmann] customers’ frack water needs in the Haynesville Shale area.”

According to the company, about 6.3 million gallons of fresh water are need for each drilled and fracked well in the Haynesville. “The water returns to the surface over time, with approximately 20% returning as flowback water within the first two to three weeks after the fracking has commenced, and the remaining water is generally returned to the surface as produced (salt) water over the life of the well, which can be up to 30 years,” Heckmann said.

The rig count in the Haynesville/Bossier has been on the decline. According to NGI’s Shale Daily Unconventional Rig Count, 100 rigs were plying the play last week, down 4% from the previous week, 9% from a month ago and 36% from a year ago.

Last summer Heckmann bought pumping and delivery services company Consolidated Petroleum Inc., which serves fracking customers in the Haynesville and Eagle Ford shales (see Shale Daily, June 24).