Eco-Engineering Forum 2012 : Addressing Water Challenges

Driven by advances in exploration and production technology, the U.S oil and natural gas sectors have undergone a revolution in recent years as vast amounts of previously uneconomic “unconventional” resources in shale formations have been deployed across the country. The continued development of unconventional resources depends on the safe and sustainable continuation of the practice of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), at present a highly water-intensive process. In addition to the large volumes of water required, fracking produces waste water that must either be treated and recycled or disposed of responsibly. With many fracking operations being conducted in areas of the country suffering from acute water shortages, there is increasing attention on the ways in which fracking can be conducted with greater water efficiency. This panel will address the range of issues related to water usage in the fracking process. It will examine lower-water alternatives to current fracking methods as well as new technical options for water treatment, disposal, and recycling being developed and tested in both the private and public sectors. It will examine the state and federal regulatory requirements for water use in fracking and seek to determine whether and how these should be updated to ensure the sustainability of the process.

More than half the world’s population today lives in cities and metro areas, with urbanization rates rapidly increasing. Behind increasing urbanization is an array of problems that city planners and policymakers must confront. One such challenge is the provision of fresh water to meet the most basic human needs. In the U.S. the challenge is two-fold: rebuilding an aging and outdated water infrastructure network, and constructing new infrastructure to meet the demands of a growing population. Dealing with these issues spans the private, public, and political realms and the fields of finance, environmental sustainability, technological innovation, and economic growth. The purpose of this panel is to confront the growing challenges of clean water in urban areas. It will focus on the U.S. and feature experts and practitioners that will describe real world examples and success stories of how water challenges are being met.