Water produced by oil and gas operators in Texas continues to challenge the industry but may present opportunities for drought-stricken areas, according to the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC).
Produced water is "one of the greatest challenges facing our domestic production", RRC chairman Jim Wright told the Argus Americas Crude Summit in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday, with roughly five barrels of waste water produced for every barrel of oil.
This translates into about 30mn b/d of water for the country's largest oil producing state, which pumped out 5.8mn b/d of crude across 2025. Another 10mn b/d of so of water is brought in from Oklahoma, where reinjection in the neighbouring state is also limited because of overpressurization underground.
Disposing that water back into the ground has become more challenging in the era of prolific horizontal drilling, however, Wright said. Wastewater injection wells have been linked to earthquakes throughout the Permian basin, as well as the water finding its way back to the surface through the tens of thousands of abandoned wells.
Both the RRC and drillers reinjecting water are cognizant of overpressurization underground as a consequence of shallower injection, which can add to both complexity and to drilling costs.
"It's getting very difficult to stuff 12 ounces into a six-ounce glass," said Wright. "So, the future for us is to make sure that we can now use this water for beneficial reuse."
There are some efforts afoot to recycle the produced water for other applications, such as agriculture, particularly in west Texas.
"The problem is produced water for other uses other than injection is a brand new area," said Wright. "Texas needs access to new water sources."
