Comments on: Which Does California Need More: Oil or Water?

By: Susan Kraemer

Susan Kraemer — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:22:38 +0000

Oh, thanks, Bill: So – would you agree that your solution is “ten times the cost” of buying fresh water on the market to replace the produced water? The research done by High Country News found that cleaning the water costs 10X. But that estimate may have come from an oil company, and the oil industry does tend to exaggerate any perceived harm to them.

By: Bill Rust

Bill Rust — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:36:12 +0000

Great article to raise awareness of the issue. Just wanted to offer up an additional point of interest about produced water and modern technology. There are systems available to oil and gas drillers, either at or near the wellhead, that can clean the water for re-use. An example of such systems is the Trilogy System from Purestream Technology.

By: Does California Need Oil or Water More? – EcoLocalizer

Does California Need Oil or Water More? – EcoLocalizer — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 12:00:31 +0000

[…] “Oil companies are grabbing an increasing share of the water in California’s Central Valley. Last year, oil companies took 83% of the district’s water allocation, according to new data published by High Country News,” Susan Kraemer of our sister site Cleantechnica writes. […]

By: Captain Mike

Captain Mike — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:01:00 +0000

Some things make you go “hmmmmm” – I never knew about that.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 07:31:07 +0000

While I understand the broad context of your argument, you don’t seem to note that much of California would be desert without irrigation. There are many areas that are now arable due to the radical irrigation and movement of water. Some of the aquifers are now becoming salty due to the increases in agriculture. Many areas of California have populations that are not realistically sustainable at the current levels of water use and would not be sustainable if they relied upon regional sources. I think the last area that you touch upon is the bigger picture: water is vastly under priced.