A study led by a UT researcher found that the amount of water used for unconventional gas and oil production, such as hydraulic fracturing, is about the same as is used for conventional production. 

The study, published on Sept. 18 online in the “Environmental Science & Technology Journal,” was led by Bridget Scanlon, senior research scientist in the Jackson School of Geosciences.

“We’re using more water for hydraulic fracturing because we’re producing more oil using hydraulic fracturing,” Scanlon said. “It is not because hydraulic fracturing is more water-intensive per unit of oil production.”