Rawlins, Wyo. – A new 100-acre water reclamation center near Rawlins, Wyoming, promises to save water and bring a new level of environmental sustainability to the state’s oil and gas industry.
When the multi-million dollar plant opens in October 2010, Red Desert Water Reclamation will have the capacity to treat approximately 20,000 barrels of “produced water” from Wyoming oil and gas drilling daily. Produced water is the term used to describe water that is produced in oil and gas drilling operations.
The 24-hour facility will be the first in the country to use Clean Runner’s proprietary PetroCleanse processing equipment: a chemical-free, low-cost technology that cleans large quantities of produced water to meet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) regulatory standards. The water, which is generally not reused but currently lost through the controversial use of injection wells, can be cleaned inexpensively and without chemicals for reuse in irrigation or subsequent oil and gas projects.
“Water resources are precious, particularly in Wyoming. This facility will enable the reuse of approximately 270 million gallons of water from oil and gas drilling operations on an annual basis,” said Richard M. Cyr, senior vice-president of Cate Street Capital, which owns the Red Desert project.
Oil and gas companies typically deposit produced water in evaporation ponds releasing it into the atmosphere or injecting it deep into the earth. Wyoming’s oil and gas companies will be the first in the industry to make this water reusable in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Red Desert plans to open additional facilities in Wyoming over the next 18 months.
The construction of Red Desert has created more than 50 jobs, and the company will create six jobs when it opens. Wyoming companies Uinta Engineering, Alta Construction and Nations Construction are helping build the reclamation center.
In addition to the Clean Runner PetroCleanse processing equipment, the new facility will feature computerized inventory equipment, three evaporation ponds and a presentation/technical training building.
Red Desert Water Reclamation is owned and operated by Cate Street Capital, Inc., an investment company that specializes in bringing to commercial operation green technologies and environmentally sustainable development projects.
Media Contact:
Gwinavere Johnston
JohnstonWells Public Relations
gwin@johnstonwells.com
(303) 623-3366
