Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law June 18 a bill that created the Texas Produced Water Consortium at Texas Tech University. State and private groups will collaborate to study the economics, technology and environmental impact of the reuse of produced water. The consortium is required to develop a report by September 2022 to propose regulatory changes to facilitate reuse of produced water for beneficial practices such as irrigation or industrial cooling. A similar consortium was created in New Mexico in 2019.
Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil & Gas Association, said, “Treating, reusing and recycling produced water for beneficial use in the oil patch and beyond is becoming more common thanks to this industry’s commitment to innovation. This consortium will allow industry and our partners to build upon pioneering work in produced water recycling and reuse to find even more innovative ways to allow wastewater to be recycled and treated into new sources of water.”
Bill sponsors were Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, and Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock. The consortium’s board will include representatives from Railroad Commission of Texas, State Energy Conservation Office, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office, and Texas Water Development Board. There also will be state agency and stakeholder advisory councils. The new law is effective immediately.