How ‘bout some perspective on how much water is used for fracking compared to other uses?

Does fracking a well to generate huge amounts of crude oil and natural gas so we can drive our cars and heat our homes take a lot of water?

You bet.

Add up all the water we use across the country for fracking. It’s a lot. However, we use more than that for irrigating golf courses or watering the lawns at our homes.

Compared to what?

Rigzone gives some perspective: Hydraulic Fracturing: Staying Afloat in Times of Tightening Water Supply:

Here is some data on how much water is used for two different purposes:

  • 0.3% – percent of all freshwater used for fracking all wells in the country during a year
  • 0.5% – portion of all freshwater to irrigate all golf courses

How about just the state of Texas? Here is the share of water usage in the state:

  • 1% – portion of water used for fracking
  • 18% – watering lawns in the state

Here is some info on the water usage for wells in different fields:

  • 4.4M gallons – Pennsylvania on average
  • 3M – 5M – Marcellus Shale
  • 4.5M – Eagle Ford

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