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Carroll writes: "The practice has been criticized in the state, which is suffering from a drought so severe that Governor Jerry Brown announced the first-ever mandatory 25 percent statewide reduction in water use on Wednesday."

A pump jack in a field being developed for drilling next to a farm near Lost Hills, California. (photo: David McNew/Getty Images)
A pump jack in a field being developed for drilling next to a farm near Lost Hills, California. (photo: David McNew/Getty Images)


As Drought Deepens, California Sees Millions of Gallons of Water Used for Fracking

By Rory Carroll, Reuters

05 April 15

 

Amounts of water used in fracking vary according to well type and geographic location. However, an overwhelming amount of data indicates that the figures for the amount of water used in California may be above the 100,000 gallons stated in this article. Estimates given by Steven Bohlen, the state oil and gas supervisor at the California Department of Conservation, regarding the average amount of water used per fracked well contradict national data from the federal government, which reports�averages of approximately 2 to 4 million gallons of water�used per well for shale fracking. A 2013 Ceres report also gave a�higher figure for California wells. JA/RSN

 

alifornia oil producers used 214 acre-feet of water, equivalent to nearly 70 million gallons, in the process of fracking for oil and gas in the state last year, less than previously projected, state officials told Reuters on Thursday.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, occurs when water and some chemicals are injected deep underground at high pressure to break up rock and release oil and gas into wells.

The practice has been criticized in the state, which is suffering from a drought so severe that Governor Jerry Brown announced the first-ever mandatory 25 percent statewide reduction in water use on Wednesday.

�Hydraulic fracturing uses a relatively small amount of water � the equivalent of 514 households annually,� said Steven Bohlen, the state oil and gas supervisor.

About 100,000 gallons of water is used on average, he said.

Previous industry estimates said that fracking used about 100 million gallons of water in California a year.

Bohlen said that not all of the water used for fracking is fresh water. Some portion of it is �produced� water, or water that comes to the surface during oil drilling that is not suitable for drinking or agricultural use.

The industry brought 387,000 acre-feet of produced water to the surface last year, Bohlen said. Of that, two-thirds was put back into the aquifers from which it came or was used to produce more oil through drilling techniques including steam flooding and cyclic steam injection.

The remaining third was put into underground injection, evaporated in surface ponds, or cleaned up for beneficial use, he said.

About 25,000 acre-feet of produced water is used for beneficial use in the San Ardo, Cawelo, and Arvin water districts, he said.

A law passed last year requires oil producers to report the sources of water used in all oil and gas extraction as well as where the water goes.

The first data report is due April 31 and will be made public soon after, Bohlen said.


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+54 # DaveM 2013-07-27 10:58
Perhaps WikiLeaks could "leak" this material, which I presume they have in their possession. That ought to take the wind out of their sails.

As to the alleged "value" of certain information, that is irrelevant. The point is not that someone "could" (allegedly) have sold the information in question. The point is that Bradley Manning did nothing of the sort.
 
 
+62 # tedrey 2013-07-27 11:18
According to the U. S. Military Code, all even suspected war crimes should be investigated, and if appropriate, charged. In fact, although brought to light, most have been ignored Those aware of these possible war crimes who do not report them, or who cover them up, are also to be investigated, and if appropriate, charged. None of the hundred of known officers thus described have been even investigated.

The covering up of war crimes is itself a crime. The Bradley Manning court martial is itself a crime.

Not ruling on Manning's guilt or innocence at the moment, it is clear that the military establishment itself is profoundly guilty, and that no judgment by this court can be legitimate in the slightest.
 
 
+8 # Kathymoi 2013-07-27 14:46
thank you for these clear statements.
 
 
+14 # reiverpacific 2013-07-27 11:27
A suggestion.
We could start referring to Manning, with Wikileaks, Assange, Snowden and other courageous whistle blowers who will emerge to shine the unwelcome light of truth on the Military-Corpor ate state with it's decades-long violations of human rights and dignity, collectively as the "New White Rose" and their judge(s) as "Friesler the Latter"!
Spread it around folks.
 
 
+19 # mickeynow 2013-07-27 11:53
What a bunch of crap. Where is America heading with nonsense like this?
 
 
0 # jamesnimmo 2013-07-27 13:26
There's nothing to prevent a journalist from taking short-hand notes is there?

clip Someone attending a pre-trial hearing recorded a plea statement Manning made accepting responsibility for 10 of the 22 charges against him. Lind registered her strong displeasure with that action, a violation of courtroom rules, but did not significantly alter security procedures.
 
 
+16 # grandma lynn 2013-07-27 14:47
For his birthday "card" I sent Pres. O. a postcard that calls Manning and Snowden heroes, "but not you, President Obama."

Don't know what else to do. It feels feeble, but I am so let down by the official bias against whistle-blowers / whistle-blowing . I agree with Snowden's father that Attorney General Holder's promising that Snowden wouldn't get the death penalty and wouldn't be tortured if he returns to the U.S. - already shows bias and assumption of guilt. As Snowden's Dad said, Holder should have been voicing "rule of law," and "trial by peers," etc. "Presumption of innocence until proven guilty." Why is Holder so uninformed as to go with the bias he shows? Have we no adults left on the scene? Well, young adults Manning and Snowden certainly earn "adult" label. They've voluntarily put themselves into the scene.
 
 
+10 # Kathymoi 2013-07-27 14:58
$1.3 million to a foreign intelligence service, and the Iraq logs $1.9 million.
--- umm, is Bradley Manning being charged with releasing for free information that could have been sold (by whom) to a foreign intelligence service? Or, is he charged with releasing for free information which would save the foreign intelligence $1.9 million to acquire via their own efforts? Or, is he charged with releasing for free information that the foreign intelligence could then use to save itself $1.9 million in military efforts? What is the crime and what does the dollar value of the information refer to? How does it relate to the safety of American citizens or residents of the United States? It has never been clear what danger Bradley Manning's releases ever posed to the safety of our country, of our citizens, or of the residents of this United States.
 
 
+14 # reiverpacific 2013-07-27 15:25
Quoting Kathymoi:
$1.3 million to a foreign intelligence service, and the Iraq logs $1.9 million.
--- umm, is Bradley Manning being charged with releasing for free information that could have been sold (by whom) to a foreign intelligence service? Or, is he charged with releasing for free information which would save the foreign intelligence $1.9 million to acquire via their own efforts? Or, is he charged with releasing for free information that the foreign intelligence could then use to save itself $1.9 million in military efforts? What is the crime and what does the dollar value of the information refer to? How does it relate to the safety of American citizens or residents of the United States? It has never been clear what danger Bradley Manning's releases ever posed to the safety of our country, of our citizens, or of the residents of this United States.

Aye, only to those who are the real traitors, finks and nepotists. Wonder if he's had any information through his hands about the Iraq "missing billions"?
I'll bet my kilted toosh that KBR/Haliburton/ Cheyn-gang/Dimw its/Blair want him shut up!
 
 
+3 # phrixus 2013-07-28 09:16
I suspect the "increased security" is adjunct to implying that since Manning is a "traitor" his so-called trial may attract other "traitors" some of whom may be "terrorists." It's another way of suggesting he's guilty before the court renders an official verdict.
 
 
0 # babalu 2013-07-31 05:34
Copyright violation? This might appear to be off-thread, but this could explain why they brought up the value of the secrets. He stole government-owne d information and there is an economic value to that information that could support a copyright violation. However, we HOPE the government itself is not selling such information. In government hands and by government dissemination (many generals go on the news shows and spill the beans), these secrets do NOT have economic value, only to a "traitor" would would sell them.
 

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