Texas Warned of Produced Water Disposal Crisis in Permian
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- Elected officials and industry leaders warned Texas is at the "precipice" of running out of underground space to dispose of produced water from oil and gas operations
- Oil and gas production in the Permian Basin generates nearly 1 billion gallons of toxic produced water every day, according to the source
- Produced water — the term for the toxic wastewater byproduct of oil and gas extraction — is the substance at the center of the disposal debate
- The pressure point identified in the headline is whether Texas should allow treated drilling waste to be released into rivers and rangeland as underground disposal capacity tightens
Why it matters: If Texas regulators approve surface discharge of treated produced water, it would mark a major policy shift for the Permian Basin, where 1 billion gallons of toxic wastewater are generated daily and underground injection wells are nearing capacity. Communities downstream and on rangeland stand to absorb whatever treated waste is approved, while the oil and gas industry gains a critical disposal pathway.
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