The PIOGA Press
Wastewater management remains a significant challenge for conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas producers in the Commonwealth. The recent slow-down in the pace of new drilling is reducing opportunities for beneficial reuse of produced fluid from operating wells. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s oil and gas reporting website, exploration and production companies reported producing 45 million barrels of flowback and produced fluid in 2014, an increase of nearly 5 million barrels from the amount reported in 2013. The increase in wastewater created by extraction highlights the importance of several state and federal regulatory efforts that could affect the handling and disposal of such material in 2016.