PAY ATTENTION · FIELD NOTES

Most people picture an oil well producing oil and what they do not picture is the water. But in many oil and gas fields, large volumes of water come to the surface along with hydrocarbons. That water is called produced water (PW), and managing it is one of the largest ongoing water challenges associated with oil and gas production.

In West Texas, we had the opportunity to work in one of those environments. 

The 30-Second Version

In a 2024 West Texas field deployment, a Smart MACCMOP™ operated continuously in a produced-water pond receiving an estimated 1 to 5 million gallons of water per day.

Field observations included:

200+ truckloads per day reportedly associated with the site

28–32 feet of observed deep-water lift range

7 days of continuous operation

directional ORP movement from approximately -30 mV to +122 mV

The deployment also showed strong circulation, disruption of stratification, movement of suspended material, and oil and tar being pushed toward the surface. The most important point is simpler:

Produced water is not a side issue. It is an enormous water stream created by energy production.

What Is Produced Water?

Oil and natural gas are often found underground in formations that also contain water. When a well produces hydrocarbons, some of that formation water can come to the surface too. That water may contain: salts, minerals, hydrocarbons, suspended solids, metals, naturally occurring compounds, and chemicals associated with oil and gas operations.

Its composition can vary dramatically from one field to another — and even from one well to another. That is why there is no single treatment answer for all produced water.

What You’re Looking At

The field graphic summarizes selected observations from a West Texas produced-water pond where the system was operating under continuous inflow. The Smart MACCMOP™ was used to create broad circulation and vertical water movement through the pond.

Field observations included:

Strong circulation 

Water movement extended well beyond the immediate footprint of the machine.

Stratification disruption

Deep ponds can develop layers with very different temperature, oxygen and chemical conditions. Mixing those layers changes how the system behaves.

Suspended solids movement

Material that had remained suspended or distributed through the water column began moving differently under stronger circulation.

Oil and tar movement

Oil and tar were observed being pushed toward the surface, where they could potentially be more accessible for recovery or management.

A Pond Can Be Deep and Still Be Poorly Mixed

A water body can look active at the surface while remaining largely disconnected beneath it. Produced-water ponds can be deep, dense and chemically complex. If circulation does not engage the full water column, very different environments can develop between the surface and deeper zones.

That condition is known as stratification. Strong vertical circulation can help break those layers apart and bring more of the water into contact with the treatment environment.

One Measurement We Watched: ORP

ORP stands for Oxidation-Reduction Potential.

It is one way of describing whether a water environment is tending toward more reducing or more oxidizing chemical conditions. During this deployment, directional field measurements moved from approximately:

-30 mV → +122 mV

That does not mean ORP alone tells us whether water is “clean.” It does not. But it can provide useful information about how the chemical environment of the water is changing.

As with all field measurements, it must be interpreted in context.

The Scale Is Hard to Picture

One million gallons is difficult to visualize. Five million gallons is even harder - the estimated daily produced-water inflow at this site. Water management at that scale can involve: storage, trucking, pipelines, treatment, reuse, recycling, evaporation, or underground injection, depending on location, water chemistry, regulation and operational needs.

Every one of those pathways has cost, infrastructure and environmental implications.

From the Field

During the West Texas deployment, the Smart MACCMOP™ operated continuously for seven days. Selected field observations included:

1–5 million gallons per day estimated produced-water inflow

200+ reported truckloads per day

28–32 feet observed deep-water lift range

strong pond-wide circulation

disruption of stratification

movement of suspended solids

oil and tar pushed toward the surface

directional ORP movement from approximately -30 mV to +122 mV

These observations represent one specific field deployment. Produced water varies enormously in chemistry, depth, salinity, loading, temperature and operating conditions.

The results should therefore be understood as site-specific observations, not universal performance guarantees.

The Number to Remember

1–5 MILLION

Estimated gallons of produced water entering the site each day

That is the number that changes the scale of the conversation. Because when we talk about oil and gas, we are also talking about water - a whole heck of a lot of it.

Where Does That Water Go Next?

That may be the more important question. Some produced water is reused. Some is treated. Some is transported. Some is injected underground. Some may remain in ponds or other infrastructure while awaiting its next destination. And when a producing field eventually slows down or closes, another question appears:

What water problems remain after the oilfield goes quiet?

That question leads directly into abandoned wells, orphaned wells, legacy ponds and the broader issue of legacy water restoration.

Oil comes out of the ground. Water often comes with it. Neither story ends at the wellhead.