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Council members urge the State Water Plan to address oil and gas water uses and produced‑water reuse
Summary
Several Watershed Council members asked that the State Water Plan explicitly consider water demands and reuse associated with energy extraction, including produced‑water treatment and reuse, and suggested site visits to view operations.
Council members raised energy‑sector water use and produced‑water reuse as a basin issue they want reflected in the State Water Plan.
At the May 13 meeting, several participants said energy extraction can involve substantial daily water volumes and that recent state legislation allows some reuse of produced water. One council member described touring energy sites and said the visit revealed more water‑management complexity than expected. The member asked the Watershed Council and the Division of Water Resources to consider those impacts in the basin chapter and suggested arranging field visits so other council members could see operations firsthand.
Stephanie McGinnis, State Water Plan Manager, said the State Water Plan “will address energy and water” and welcomed further basin‑specific details so the plan’s basin perspective can describe local impacts and potential solutions. McGinnis asked that council members note the specific creek names, species or sites in the survey or offer to be contacted for follow‑up so staff can include precise information in the basin chapter.
Participants also discussed regulatory and technology considerations for produced‑water reuse, including uncertainties about treatment standards and downstream reuse policies. A council member said that while some reuse is now permitted by recent legislation, there is no widely adopted set of “sideboards” or treatment standards to guide reuse for agriculture or stream return; the member urged the plan process to clarify where standards or pilot projects might be needed.
The Division said it will take basin‑level submissions via the survey and follow up with council volunteers to obtain site‑specific technical details where necessary.
