AskChesapeake

Brentwood Water Pipeline Project

Chesapeake Energy is pleased to share our development plans for the Brentwood saltwater disposal well and water pipeline project, located on the east side of Fort Worth. Chesapeake, in partnership with the City of Fort Worth, will install a water pipeline system that will carry produced water from area gas wells to the existing Brentwood saltwater disposal well, significantly reducing the need for water trucks.

Currently, there are two ways to transport produced water:  by truck or by pipeline. During its projected 30-year lifespan in the Barnett Shale, a single natural gas well can generate approximately 1,800 truckloads of water. Water pipeline systems reduce the need for water trucks. Fewer trucks mean less traffic, reduced truck emissions, less wear and tear on roads, a cleaner environment for the community and improved safety in the City of Fort Worth.  As the urban expert in natural gas production, Chesapeake is continuing to explore new processes in order to minimize any inconveniences associated with production activities.

About the Brentwood Site

The role that water plays in natural gas production is not widely understood.  Many people are not aware that the majority of water generated from these operations originates deep within the earth's surface.  Saltwater disposal wells are simply a means of safely returning this produced water back to where it originated.  Managing produced water through the use of saltwater disposal wells is a monitored, safe and necessary practice. 

The Brentwood saltwater disposal well was permitted in 2007, prior to the moratorium on disposal wells in the City of Fort Worth. Click here to view our educational video on saltwater disposal.

The Brentwood Corridor Water Pipeline Project was approved by the Fort Worth City Council in October 2008. The plan is to eventually link more than 31 padsites, with over 81 wells, by water pipeline to dispose into the Brentwood saltwater disposal well. Phase I of the project is expected to span from Riverside Drive to Greenbelt Road running parallel between Interstate 30 and Interstate 121.

The Brentwood well is located on Chesapeake’s 42-acre field office. It is located in East Fort Worth, north of I-30 near Oakland.  This property hosts multiple operations, including  two compressor stations and four gas well padsites: Brentwood A, Brentwood B, Carter State and coming soon White Lake Hills B.

Tank batteries at the Brentwood facility hold produced water until it is injected into the saltwater disposal well. The Brentwood site is securely fenced and landscaped.

Water Pipeline Success Case Study

The DFW Airport Water Circuit Project was developed when Chesapeake was awarded the rights to drill for natural gas under DFW International Airport in 2006.  DFW International Airport — the third busiest airport in the county — deals with high volumes of vehicle traffic daily. To avert a potential traffic increase, DFW Airport welcomed the opportunity to reduce potential traffic by installing water pipelines to handle the transportation of produced water from the airport wellsites.
 
Chesapeake installed 110,000 feet  — nearly 21 miles — of corrosion resistant polyethylene pipe to service producing wells at the airport. These pipelines have dramatically reduced the need for water trucks, effectively deceasing emissions and eliminating the road wear these trucks might have caused on airport property. The pipeline systems transport the produced water directly from the wells to two saltwater injections wells — DFW North and DFW South — currently operating at the airport.

The success at DFW Airport can be realized at other locations throughout the Barnett Shale area.  By combining strategically located saltwater disposal wells with the use of water pipeline systems, water truck traffic throughout the North Texas region can be dramatically reduced, resulting in fewer emissions and improved air quality.

Brentwood Recycing Opportunity

The Brentwood saltwater disposal facility will soon utilize a water evaporation system to help reduce the amount of produced water injected into the disposal well by using evaporation technology.  Using the natural process of evaporation, Intevras' EVRAS system filters the water and then uses the heat generated by natural gas compressor stations --an energy source that would typically be wasted -- to evaporate a portion of it.  Once evaporated, the clean water vapor is released into the atmosphere where it will naturally return to the earth as rain.  Early estimates indicate that approximately 1,200 barrels of fresh water can be evaporated out of 3,000 barrels of concentrated saltwater, resulting in fewer barrels to be injected via saltwater disposal wells. To learn more about Chesapeake’s initiatives on water recycling, please click here.

Photos and Maps

To enlarge photo or map, click on the images below.

Brewntwood site in East Fort Worth	Close-up view of the Brentwood well
Aerial map of Brentwood Corridor Water Pipeline Project	Aerial view of DFW International Airport's saltwater pipeline circuit

Meetings

Chesapeake would be pleased to create a customized presentation to your neighborhood or civic association. To schedule a meeting, please email Mercedes Bolen, Public Affairs Supervisor, at mercedes.bolen@chk.com.

Questions

Please contact Chesapeake regarding questions or concerns you might have about natural gas drilling and operations in your neighborhood. Contact us at AskChesapeake@chk.com or call 817.502.5000. You will be contacted within 48 hours by one of our Neighbor Relations Specialists.