By Business Report Staff
October 6, 2010 -- RAWLINS — The new 100-acre Red Desert Water Reclamation Center held its grand opening today. Focused on treating water from the oil and gas industry, the plant's backers say it will save water and bring a new level of environmental sustainability to Wyoming’s oil and gas industry.
Red Desert's new multi-million-dollar plant has 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 is 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 waters generally not reused, but it currently is lost through the controversial use of injection wells or is deposited into evaporation ponds. The water can be cleaned inexpensively and without chemicals for reuse in irrigation or subsequent oil and gas projects.
Located within two hours of multiple oil and gas producing basins, Red Desert has an efficient transfer system because when drivers arrive, the produced water is quickly offloaded, reducing wait and travel times.
In addition to the processing equipment, the new facility features computerized inventory equipment, three holding ponds and a presentation/technical training building.
“It’s our mission to bring environmentally sensitive and sustainable businesses to life, and Red Desert promises to make more water available to Wyoming that would have otherwise been disposed of,” said Richard M. Cyr, senior vice president of Cate Street Capital, which owns and operates the project.
Wyoming’s oil and gas companies will be the industry’s first 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 created more than 50 jobs, and the company has created six jobs that will support facility operations. Wyoming companies Uinta Engineering, Alta Construction and Nations Construction helped build the reclamation center.
Cate Street Capital Inc. is an investment company that specializes in bringing green technologies and environmentally sustainable development projects to commercial operation.
More details about Red Desert may be found at www.reddesertwater.com.
http://www.wyoptv.org/news/viewnews.php?id=374&title=Water%20reclaimed%20in%20the%20desert
