WATER MANAGEMENT
PRESERVING FRESH WATER
As California’s largest oil and gas company on a
CRC actively identifies pilot projects and implements
gross-operated basis, CRC is committed to reducing
fresh water replacement strategies in California to
our fresh water use, particularly in areas experiencing
enhance our role as a net water supplier to agriculture.
drought conditions.
CRC recycles approximately 79 percent of our produced
CRC’s water management team consists of
hydrologists, environmental scientists, engineers and
operations personnel. They work together to implement
conservation and recycling projects to sustain fresh
water sources in the communities where we operate.
“As a leading grower
of almonds and
pistachios in the
San Joaquin Valley,
having sufficient,
dependable water
water directly in our improved and enhanced oil recovery
is critical to our
ability to supply
operations, significantly reducing our need to purchase
fresh water and preserving fresh water resources for
Californians and the world with our products and
to the livelihoods of our workers.
cities, towns and farms.
We value our partnerships with California
Through our internal recycling and our supply of
Where possible, the team also focuses on developing
produced water for agriculture, we continue to reduce
alternative water sources, like repurposing produced
the demand on fresh water resources.
Resources Corporation and other oil and gas
companies to address water supply challenges,
particularly during this historic drought. CRC
and other oil and gas companies supply water to
agricultural water users, which helps alleviate the
water from oil and gas reservoirs.
impacts of drought and benefits agriculture and
the people of California.”
-William D. Phillimore
Executive Vice President, Paramount Farming
Yuba City
Rio Vista
Lost Hills
Bakersfield
ELK
HILLS
FIELD
CRC’S WATER USE IN
Comments or questions about this brochure
may be directed to:
Santa Paula
Los Angeles
Long Beach
Huntington
Beach
In 2014, CRC’s steamflood
operations supplied more than
2 billion gallons — or over 6,200
acre-feet — of water for agricultural
use in California. The equivalent
amount of water would meet the
needs of approximately 13,700
families for one year, thus preserving
fresh water for other beneficial uses.
CALIFORNIA
Armando Gonzalez
Director, Regulatory Affairs
California Resources Corporation
(661) 412-5265
[email protected]
As a California company, California Resources
Corporation (CRC), our Board of Directors and
our workforce are committed to helping alleviate
California’s drought. Through our investments in
water conservation and recycling, CRC already
supplies more water to water districts and farms than
the amount of fresh water we purchase statewide.
crc.com
OIL AND GAS WATER USE
Most of this produced water is recycled in a closed loop by
The oil and gas industry uses a small amount of fresh
reinjection into mature oil and gas reservoirs as part of our
water compared to other industries. In fact, according
improved or enhanced oil recovery operations. The remaining
to U.S. Geological Survey data, the amount of water
produced water is either treated and supplied to agriculture
(both fresh and non-fresh) used by the combined oil,
for irrigation or disposed via reinjection into approved zones.
gas and mining industries makes up only 1 percent of the
2%
4%
WATER USED
IN CRC’S
OPERATIONS
In 2014, CRC supplied more than 2 billion gallons of water
water used in the United States.
for agriculture through our steamflood operations. CRC
PRODUCED WATER
The vast majority of water managed by California
provided more water for irrigation than the amount of fresh
FRESH WATER
Resources Corporation (CRC), called “produced water,”
water we purchased for our statewide operations. To build
NON-FRESH WATER
occurs naturally in hydrocarbon reservoirs and is brought
on our successful conservation efforts, we have established
to the surface during the production of oil and gas.
a target to increase CRC’s net water supply to agriculture by
94%
10 percent over the next three years by replacing fresh water
CRC separates produced water, which is typically salty and
with recycled water wherever feasible and providing more
not suitable for drinking, from the produced oil and gas.
produced water to local water districts and farms.
WATER DEFINITIONS
Recycled produced
water is sometimes
injected into the
hydrocarbon
reservoir to enhance
recovery, allowing
the oil to be pumped
to the surface.
Inside the reservoir,
there is oil, gas and
water. At the surface
these are separated.
The water, called
produced water,
is recycled in our
operations, disposed
by reinjection or
supplied to agriculture.
Produced
Water
Oil
Gas
Produced Water: Water that originates in oil and gas
reservoirs and is brought to the surface during the
production of oil and gas.
Wellhead
Cement
Conductor Casing
Fresh groundwater
300'
Saline zone
1,000'
Production Casing
CRC’s operations in
Long Beach use recycled
Fresh Water: Water typically purchased from municipal
water for approximately
sources, water districts and water companies.
99 percent of their
total water use. This
Many layers of impermeable
rock prevent fluid movement
Cement
Surface Casing
99%
RECYCLING
WATER
Impermeable cap rock holds
oil, gas and water in place
Hydrocarbon reservoir
oil, gas and water
Saline zone
7,000'
Non-fresh Water: Water from sources like reclaimed
is primarily produced
municipal wastewater, collected storm water or
water, supplemented
agricultural runoff that requires a significant amount
with reclaimed municipal
of treatment before it can be used.
wastewater that we
purchase from the City of
Recycled Water: Water that is treated to remove solids
Long Beach to use instead
and impurities and reused.
of fresh water.