Water Resources in the Draft FMG RMPA/EIS

• Protective Measures

  • BLM would apply Conditions of Approval (COAs) to Applications to Permits to Drill or oil and gas right-of-way (ROW) applications to minimize and mitigate impacts on seeps/springs, domestic water supplies, and other surface waters as discussed in Section C.1.9 in Appendix C of Volume 2 of the Draft FMG RMPA/EIS

  • COAs for water resources include:

    • Disclosing location of oil and gas wells and chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing on federal and Indian lands at www.fracfocus.org

    • Oil and gas operators must use water sources approved by the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division, and, upon request from the BLM Authorized Officer, the operator must provide documentation of these water sources

    • Developing plans to manage flowback waters from hydraulic fracturing

  • BLM could relocate proposed oil or gas wells and ROWs up to 200 meters (656 feet) away from seeps/springs, domestic water supplies, and other surface waters

  • BIA leases would ensure that the Navajo Nation’s rights respecting the use of water would be unimpaired, and the lessee would not use any waters of the Navajo Nation, such as wells, tanks, rivers, springs, washes, creeks, and stock water.

• Additional Analysis and Information

  • Chapter 3 and Appendix I of the Draft FMG RMPA/EIS include detailed discussions of water sources for hydraulic fracturing, with the use of saline, non-potable sources being critical

  • Analysis of differing technologies that could reduce water used for hydraulic fracturing—for example, slickwater, nitrogen, flowback water, reuse of produced water, etc., with the cumulative water use under the BLM alternatives shown in the table below

*Projected wells in the BIA Mineral Decision Area from 2018-2037 would be 510, with projected water use being 1,707 acre-feet under the nitrogen hydraulic fracturing scenario and 18,117 acre-feet under the slickwater hydraulic fracturing scenario. Note that these totals do not vary across BIA alternatives because of the complex process for leasing or operating agreements on individual Indian allotments or Tribal trust lands.

Table shows how much water would be used under either technology used for hydraulic fracturing (e.g., Nitrogen or slickwater) in the BLM Mineral Decision Area. The table also assumes maximum use of water, with no water-saving technologies; use will be lower with water saving technologies like use of produced water, reuse of flowback water, or use of saline/non-potable water. Nitrogen for hydraulic fracturing uses less water but depends on the use of fresh, non-saline water. In contrast, slickwater hydraulic fracturing uses more water, but can rely on non-potable, saline, or reused water. Actual water use under these techniques would be reduced if water-saving practices were employed. See Chapter 3 and Appendix I of the Draft FMG RMPA/EIS for more details.

**BLM Alternatives B1-B2 and C1-C6 are presented as a range, with most to least water use shown.

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For more information on the Draft FMG RMPA/EIS please contact Sarah Scott, 505-564-7689 or Robert Begay, 505-863-8515

If you have questions about the Draft FMG RMPA/EIS or wish to be added or removed from the mailing list, please contact BLM at blm_nm_ffo_rmp@blm.gov.