New Mexico halts plan to release treated oilfield wastewater amid contamination concerns
New Mexico regulators have rejected a proposal to discharge treated oil and gas wastewater, citing a lack of safeguards to prevent contamination of the state's dwindling water resources.
Carrie Klein reports for Inside Climate News.
In short:
- The New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission voted May 14 to block a rule that would have allowed pilot projects to discharge 84,000 gallons of treated fracking wastewater daily into state waters.
- Known as "produced water," the waste from oil and gas operations contains toxic substances like arsenic and benzene. The state produces about 84 billion gallons of this wastewater annually.
- While pilot projects testing water purification methods will continue, they must fully contain the treated water and cannot release it until state regulations are in place.
Key quote:
“... there is no scenario where a person could discharge treated produced water in a way that fulfills the requirements of the Water Quality Act and Produced Water Act in a protective, predictable and reliably safe manner.”
— Jason Herman, program manager, Ground Water Quality Bureau
Why this matters:
Fracking produces vast amounts of "produced water," a toxic byproduct laced with undisclosed industrial chemicals, many of which have unknown health effects. As oil and gas drilling expands, especially in arid states like New Mexico and Texas, managing this waste safely becomes more urgent. Proposals to clean and reuse the water for agriculture or industry are attractive in a region facing severe water shortages; climate models project New Mexico could lose a quarter of its surface and groundwater in the next half-century. But the current lack of regulatory oversight, chemical transparency, and scientific certainty means the risk of contaminating drinking water supplies, farmland, and ecosystems remains high. Allowing wastewater discharge without firm standards could put residents, particularly those in rural and tribal communities, at elevated risk for exposure to carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.
Related EHN coverage:
