How is Water Used in Oil & Gas Exploration in Kansas?

Water and energy are interdependent. Water is an essential component of deep shale gas development. It is used for drilling, where a mixture of clay and water is used to carry rock cuttings to the surface, as well as to cool and lubricate the drillbit. Water is also used in hydraulic fracturing where a mixture of water and sand is injected into the deep shale at high pressure to create small cracks in the rock that allow natural gas​ and oil to freely flow to the surface. Hydraulic fracturing  has been taking place in Kansas for more than 60 years. Kansas was the first state in the nation to frac a well (Grant County, 1947).

For more information regarding water use in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling in Kansas see below:

Kansas Water Office - Hydraulic Fracturing & Horizontal Drilling Frequently Asked Questions

For general information on hydraulic fracturing and the State Inter-Agency Working Group visit the Kansas Department of Commerce site: Kansas Oil and Gas Activity in the Mississippian Lime Play

Recently the Kansas Water Office held their annual Kansas Water Issues Forum - Just Add Water: Kansas and the Economy, which brought together experts and citizens to learn and discuss current topics in water  planning, oil and gas development history, trends and potential in Kansas, horizontal wells and fracking and water permitting. There was also a panel discussion about what the role of government is in energy development.  Below is information and presentations on hydraulic facturing and horizontal drilling.

Panel Talks

• The Whole Fracking Story - Submitted by Ed Cross, KIOGA

• Gas Land Debunked - Submitted by Ed Cross, KIOGA

• A Fluid Situation - Typical Solution Used in Hydraulic Fracturing - Submitted by Ed Cross, KIOGA

• Federal Statutes Regulate Every Step of the Hydraulic Fracturing Process - Submitted by Ed Cross, KIOGA

• What is the Role of Government in Energy Development? - Submitted by Mark Sievers, Kansas Corporation Commission

Power Point Presentations 

• Horizontal Drilling & Hydraulic Fracturing  - Doug Louis - Kansas Corporation Commission, Conservation Division Director

• Oil and Gas History, Trends, and Potential in Kansas - K. David Newell, Ph.D., Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas

• Water Permitting - David W. Barfield, P.E., Chief Engineer, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources

• Role of Government in Energy Development -  Mark Sievers, Kansas Corporation Commission

• Kansas Water Issues Forum - Randy Fannin, Grant Warnecke, & DaMonica Pierson, Shell, Exploration and Production

• Planning the Mix of Energy Sources to Meet Future Demands - Westar Energy

• "Watering the Boom" in Oklahoma - Angie Taylor, Oklahoma Water Resources Board

November 27, 2012 - Oil & Gas Small Business Opportunities Conference: your Guide to Working in the MLP - Hutchinson, KS - 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Kansas State Fairgrounds Encampment Building

Registration

 Kansas Water Issues Forum Photos