Help protect the West's land, air, and water. Donate Now »

Annual Water Requirements for Fracking in Colorado

22,100 to 39,500 acre-feet (AF)

Enough water for 66,400 to 118,400 homes in Colorado

Could serve 166,000 to 296,100 people for a year

166,000 is slightly more than the entire population of the City of Lakewood (Colorado's 4th largest city) or Fort Collins

296,000 is similar to the entire populations of either Douglas, Boulder, Larimer or Weld counties

Annual Water Use for Fracking is 100% Consumptive

Roughly 90-95% of residential water used indoors returns to a watewater treatment plant and is ultimately released to streams or reused

Water Use Per Frack Job

Niobrara Formation (Northern Colorado, Chesapeake Energy): 4 million gallons (12.28 AF)

Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) Report: 1 to 5 million gallons (3.07 - 15.34 AF)

Your Water Is Driving Away

A recent report completed for Douglas County, CO estimates 11, 040 loaded truck trips for one well pad (containing six wells) over a 265 day period.

6,000 trips were made to haul fracking water
3,000 trips were for wastewater disposal

Bureau of Land Management report estimates 1,160 truck visits are required to develop each well

Fracking Our Future: Where's the Water?

Everything You Need to Know About Water and Community Impacts from Hydraulic Fracturing

Fracking Our Future is the first report to provide a comprehensive measure of water and community impacts from hydraulicfracturing. This timely report addresses the questions, "How much water is required for new production, such as through the process of hydraulic fracturing, and where will that water come from?" It provides specific recommendations to guide future development that decision makers can use in developing policies to make sure that water resources are properly managed along with oil and gas development.