Mr. Erik Milito - The House Committee on Natural Resources ...

WATER MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH HYDRAULIC FRACTURING 9
5 Water Use and Management Associated with Hydraulic Fracturing
5.1 General
Hydraulic fracturing operations require the temporary installation and use of surface water storage equipment,
chemical storage, mixers, pumps, and other equipment at the well site. Additives are normally delivered in a
concentrated (solid or liquid) form, in sealed sacks, tanks, or other containers (see Figure 4). Water is delivered in
tanker trucks or via dedicated waterlines. <strong>The</strong> water may arrive over a period of days or weeks and may be stored on
site in tanks or lined pits. Blending of the fracture fluid generally occurs as pumping of the fracture stimulation is
underway, so that there is no lengthy on site storage of pre-mixed fracturing fluid. Finally, upon completion of the
fracturing operation, recovered fracture fluids in the flow back water must be separated, contained, treated, disposed
of, and/or reused.
5.2 Planning Considerations
Considerations associated with water acquisition, use, and management in hydraulic fracturing operations can be
categorized in the following different phases.
— Source Water Acquisition—Where will the water supplies needed for hydraulic fracturing operations be
acquired
— Transport—How does the water get from the source to the well site and from the well site to the point of
treatment and/or disposal
Source: Chesapeake Energy Corporation, 2008
Figure 4—Hydraulic Fracturing Well Site for a Marcellus Shale Well