Save for later Print Download Share LinkedIn Twitter Sourcing, transporting and disposing of water used and produced in oil-field operations has always been a chore. On the disposal side, the solutions have historically been straightforward -- simply hire a truck to transport volumes to some nearby injection well and forget about it. But today water management in US tight oil plays is becoming more than just a logistical challenge -- it's turning into a multimillion-dollar headache for pad operators and a multibillion-dollar business for the increasingly large companies offering their services. IHS Markit estimates the water-management sector in the US -- comprising both sourcing and disposal -- to be worth some $37.5 billion in 2019, a 12% increase from 2018. Even as drilling and completion activity slows this year due to capital discipline, IHS expects demand for water used in drilling and completions to grow by 7% in 2019. With more water pumped in, demand for disposal will also continue to rise. "When you run the numbers out, it's scary how big it is," Bill Zartler, CEO of Solaris Water Midstream, told a packed house at an Oilfield Water Connection event in Houston (EIF Jan.3'19). "There's a lot of opportunity for this industry."
