Pilot projects are exploring whether this water could be treated and used to grow crops.
BY Inside Climate Newslong read There is water in all the wrong places in this corner of West Texas. The Pecos River runs dry through this small town mired in severe drought. But Lake Boehmer, a pool of toxic water flowing from underground, lies just a few miles south. To the north, a well blew out on a ranch late last year and spewed salty water sky high. Early settlers built canals to divert water from the Pecos River here and named the town for the Imperial Valley of California. But today Imperial is surrounded by oilfields and farmland that has gone fallow. Oil and gas companies are injecting vast quantities of wastewater, also known as produced water, into the subsurface of the Permian Basin. These injection wells have been linked to surface deformation, blow-outs, and earthquakes. Eric Selinger's family used to farm shrimp on their property along the Pecos River outside Imperial. But the aquaculture ponds have long lain empty. He sees a potential solution in produced water and is seeking business partners to treat it for irrigation on his land. Selinger hopes that repurposing produced water can reduce the volume injected underground, and in turn, the risk of blow-outs and earthquakes. Subscribe to the Compass newsletter. Fast Company's trending stories delivered to you daily Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters "I've got the vision and I've got the piece of land," he said on a warm October afternoon. Selinger isn't the only one betting that produced water can be used outside the oilfield. The Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates oil and gas waste, has two pilot projects to test the concept. The Texas Produced Water Consortium, based at Texas Tech University, is running its own set of treatment pilots. The Texas legislature is expected to review the issue next year. "I believe produced water in the next five years will be a viable supply alternative in some areas that need it," said state Sen. Charles Perry of Lubbock during a hearing of the…