Aqua Renew, Chesapeake’s water recycling initiative, consists of
various programs and processes to conserve freshwater resources,
including recycling naturally occurring produced water.
Trucked to a central location or the next hydraulic fracturing job, heavier particulates in the water are removed as they naturally filter out and settle to the bottom.
Every gallon of water we recycle is one less gallon
we need to purchase and permit from a lake, river,
pond, stream or other freshwater source, and
ultimately dispose.
The Marcellus Shale is named for a distinctive outcropping near Marcellus,
New York, and extends through much of the Appalachian Basin. Stretching
primarily across portions of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia,
experts estimate that it may be one of the largest onshore natural gas fields in
North America. The formation, which ranges from 40 to more than 200 feet
thick, has an estimated 141 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves
according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Approximately 4.3 million gallons of water is used to hydraulically fracture
a Chesapeake well in the Marcellus Shale.
That's less than the amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls in seven seconds.
Produced water is a byproduct of natural gas and oil extraction. Generally, this
water is filled with sand, silt and returned fracturing fluid. It travels from
the producing formation to the surface along with natural gas and oil during
completion and production operations.
Our Marcellus North District treats and recycles approximately
97% of the produced water associated with operations.
Solids or particles include:
Or about enough water to complete more
than two Marcellus Shale wells a month.
