Oilfield Water Weekly

What’s in a name? Well, here at Oilfield Water Connection, “connections” are our last name! However, we’ve all been feeling a little bit disconnected lately in these different times.

We all miss the in-person interaction and problem solving opportunities that our live gatherings deliver. Moreover, we personally miss getting to see all of you. So we are doing something about it.

Thanks to technology, personal connections with two-way dialog in a group setting don’t have to disappear in the lockdown. So keep an eye out for our new connection initiative – “Virtual Think-Ins”!

We will soon host a new series of informal Zoom meetings with small groups of like-minded industry folks to provide the informal, informative discussions that you’ve come to rely on our events for.

Each session will have a theme, but it will be unscripted. Importantly, these are not “webinars.” Our mission is connections, our physical events focus on fireside chats, and our virtual-think-ins will continue in this vein by focusing on interactive two-way dialog instead of prepared remarks and slides.

So… while we may kick off with a minute or two from SMEs setting the stage for discussion, there will be no lengthy or formal keynotes or presentations – just gatherings of vetted problem solvers to share ideas, knowledge, and solve all water world’s problems.

A couple ground rules:

  • Each session will be limited to 15-20 registrants to keep the conversation manageable and productive
  • Some seats will be reserved for operators and invited topic experts
  • Registrations will be first-come, first-serve
  • We will enforce a strict “no sales pitches” policy (don’t test us on that…we’ve all learned in this pandemic that only God is more powerful than a Zoom Host!)
  • We may start a few minutes early, but we will never run late out of respect for your time (if the conversation has enough running room, we’ll schedule a sequel)

We’ve always delivered relevant and timely content for industry decision makers. Our new Virtual Think-Ins will continue that tradition – light on marketing, heavy on solutions discussion – and bridge the gap until we meet again.

We’d love to hear topic suggestions from you all, since you are out there on the oilfield’s front lines. Here are several thought topics we are considering for the first couple think-in sessions:

  • Unintended Consequences (And Opportunities) For Water Midstream From The Storage Rush And Shut-Ins
  • Disposal & Recycling Impacts As Treated Water Demand Heads Toward Zero In The Frac Blackout
  • Economic Trade-offs & Best Practices For Mothballing Infrastructure, Equipment & Facilities
  • Communications & Public Relations In Times Of Crisis And Chaos
  • Retaining And Recruiting Team Members For Beyond The Pandemic

Got other ideas for sessions we should host? Just reply to this email with your ideas, and we’ll do our best to connect the right guys in the room for a great discussion.

We’re excited to launch this initiative to help keep the industry connected. Keep an eye out for a separate email with details regarding our first one or two sessions. We look forward to seeing you online soon!

-Pete and Joseph

And now for this week’s oilfield water industry news and analysis….


News Digest

Shut-Ins Could Increase Water Cuts When Wells Restart!

Operators shutting in for months should expect to see significantly higher water cuts upon restart. In most tight-rock reservoirs, especially those that are oil-wet, water becomes more mobilized than oil over time “and shut-in wells have a tendency to produce even more water as they are put back on production.”

Wettability A Growing Concern With Shut-Ins

One thing that can happen to oil and gas wells when they are shut in after being on production is a change in wettability....

Where Will All the Water Go?

In the last five-plus years, water has become a major subset of the oil and gas industry. Water midstreams have arisen, many of which handle all aspects including fresh, produced, recycling, and disposal. Now they, like every other oil and gas sector, are facing decisions that likely will change their operations forever....

Water Dedications in Bankruptcy May Be Less Secure than You Think

Even though many water gathering contracts include dedications expressly intended to be covenants running with the land, such contracts may have a greater chance of being successfully rejected in bankruptcy on the theory that the covenant relates to personal property (i.e., produced water) and not real property...

TX RRC Motions To Allow Alternative Underground Oil Storage Formations

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) on Tuesday voted to pass two orders suspending certain fees and creating an exception to Rule 95 – which covers underground hydrocarbon storage facilities – that allows underground oil storage in alternative formations....

New Permian SWD Spuds [Analysis]

Who's been recently active in the commercial water management space? 10 new #SWD wells have been spud by 9 operators since the beginning of 2020. Another solid quick data hit from the desk of Chris Weyand...

This Thursday: Water Dynamics in the Permian Basin and the Path Forward Webinar

Join Enverus and B3 on May 7th at 2:30pm CST as we take a look at market expectations for the Permian Basin and what the path to recovery will look like...

Money in Water Post-Meltdown: New Mexico's Produced Water Infrastructure- What Might We Expect in the Year Ahead?

Since we don’t know how long it will take to reach oil price stability, or how that relates to operator spending and Wall Street’s willingness to finance our industry, EnergyMakers ran a series of best-to-worst scenarios looking at water volumetrics as they relate to various well completion rates going forward....

Buyer In The Water Midstream Market

If any of my E&P buddies are potentially considering monetizing your water assets & infrastructure so you can free up cash for whatever reason give us a call! Taurus Midstream is in "Buy Mode" and would like to make you a reasonable offer considering market conditions. Taurus may even consider buying oil/gas producing assets if they are attractively priced...

Sellers In The Midstream Market

East Daley Capital identified 129 non-core midstream assets that midstream companies are likely evaluating as part of their evolving strategic plans...

Rockies Water Player Gives CNBC A Rundown On The Oilfield Crash

Colorado-based Elevate Energy Services, provides infrastructure and water for the hydraulic fracturing process in CO, WY, ND & NM, co-founder Craig Horn candidly shares his story with CNBC from his company’s struggle to the crippling layoffs....

Oil boomtowns in West Texas are going bust with oil

In Kermit, 50 miles west of Odessa and just south of New Mexico, life often feels like one big weekend in a casino, explains Rodney Hayes, an owner of a flower shop.

Just let there be one more boom; I promise not to blow it.

Heard that in 2015 and here we are 5 years later. You can blame China, Russia, the Saudis, etc. However, you should blame yourself.

NIFA Impacts: Saving the Ogallala Aquifer, Supporting Farmers

The Ogallala Aquifer is one of the world’s largest fresh groundwater resources. It underlies 175,000 square miles in eight states. Starting as hundreds of feet of silt, clay, and gravel eroded from the Rocky Mountains and laid down by streams millions of years ago, rainfall during this time produced an underground lake the size of Lake Huron....

New Mexico Governor Closes Town

Effective at 12 p.m., May 1, all roads into Gallup are closed. Businesses in the city of Gallup will close from 5 p.m. through 8 a.m. Vehicles may only have a maximum of two individuals....

Worldwide Acquires Houston Natural Resources

The company’s subsidiary HNR Oil Services LLC owns a water and solids treatment and disposal facilities...

Fire at Watford City saltwater disposal well causes 550 barrels of brine to be released

A fire at the J.W. FISKETJON 1 saltwater disposal well in Watford City on Wednesday caused an estimated 550 barrels of brine to be released, according to the North Dakota Oil and Gas Division.

FROM WYOFILE: EPA knocks Wyo plan to bar public’s water pollution data

Wyoming can’t ignore water pollution data submitted by the public or academic institutions when that’s the only information available to determine whether streams, lakes and rivers are polluted, the U.S. EPA has told state officials....

Wyoming Public Notice Regarding EOG Distillation Unit

Wyoming DEQ proposes to approve a request by EOG Resources, Inc. to operate a temporary Direct Contact Thermal Distillation unit to evaporate produced water from production facilities and produced water reuse facilities at various locations in Campbell, Converse, Johnson, and Laramie Counties, Wyoming...

If we can’t stop squabbling, we’re setting Wyoming up for devastation

I believe there is a way forward to keep oil and gas going, give agriculture additional water resources, create healthy soil and continue to improve our air quality. Yet, all the stakeholders cannot see the way forward because of too much in-fighting. I’ll be the first to admit I’m guilty of this as well....

Ultrasonic Clamp-On Flowmeters

Process water and wastewater operations play an important role in an increasingly demanding industrial environment. Selecting proper flow instrumentation is essential to ensure tight control of treatment processes....

Vivakor Announces Oil/Soilds Water Remediation Technology License/Purchase

The technology allows for the remediation of oil and solids contaminated water, leaving both clean water and usable oil/solids byproduct....

Managing Produced Water For More Oil

Like flare gas, the produced water challenge is one that continues to worsen over time unless holistically managed in a commercially savvy manner. This will encourage operators to embrace the idea that it is worthwhile spending money to tackle produced water challenges....

Taking temperatures underground to better extract energy from the earth

When will a geothermal reservoir give out, as evidenced by cooling of the produced water?
“You really want advanced warning of when the extracted water will show cooling effects, which means that you somehow have to ‘interrogate’ the reservoir itself,” Plummer said.

Kern County Takes Step To Reinstate Permitting

In a first step aimed at reinstating a local oil-and-gas permitting system effectively struck down earlier this year in appeals court, Kern County this week began soliciting input on how to proceed with a comprehensive environmental review of drilling and other oil field activity around the county....

In third attempt, company seeks Iowa water for drought-stricken states

Pattison Sand Co. — the northeast Iowa mining company that has proposed sending millions of gallons of water from Iowa to drought-stricken western states — hopes its third attempt at getting state approval is a charm.

Water Can Transform This Dangerous Waste Into Useful Plastics [Study]

Methane is commonly cast as an environmental villain -- spewing toxic gas from the chimney stacks of oil and coal plants across the nation. While this characterization is true, scientists have now cracked the code on how to better transform this toxic chemical into its more environmentally friendly cousin, methanol, using a secret ingredient: water...

Reducing fresh water use a common theme for environmental excellence finalists

The second annual Energy Excellence Awards (EEAs) program, presented by the Daily Oil Bulletin, uniquely recognizes energy excellence and focuses on the advancement of collaboration within Canada’s energy industry...

H2O Intrigue: Why are Saudi Arabian cows still eating Arizona's water?

Opinion: Republic reporters defined how out-of-state and foreign interests are draining Arizona groundwater. Sadly, the government has known for years....

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Detailed Agenda

Monday - May 5, 2025 | Pre-Conference

Start TimeDescription
2:00 pm

Tuesday - May 6, 2025 | Conference Day 1

Start TimeDescription
8:00 am
in the Exhibit Hall

Wednesday - May 8, 2025 | Conference Day 2

Start TimeDescription
10:00 am

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