Oil's Growing Thirst for Water

Each oil well in the area, using the technique known as hydraulic fracturing, requires about six million gallons of water to break open rocks far below the surface and release oil and natural gas. Mr. Parker says he worries about whether the underground water can support both ranching and energy exploration. Darrell Brownlow, another cattle rancher, says that if the economically depressed region has to choose between the two, the choice should be simple. Mr. Brownlow, who has a Ph.D. in geochemistry, says it takes 407 million gallons to irrigate 640 acres and grow about $200,000 worth of corn on the arid land. The same amount of water, he says, could be used to frack enough wells to generate $2.5 billion worth of oil. "No water, no frack, no wealth," says Mr. Brownlow, who has leased his cattle ranch for oil exploration. Read more: http://j.mp/tpaB7G Photo: Russell Gold/Wall Street Journal

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• Agriculture
• Water Control