HOUSTON, June 14 (UPI) -- The most severe Texas drought in more than 100 years is curtailing efforts to coax natural gas out of Eagle Ford shale deposits, an administrator said.
Water management officials in Texas are advising residents to limit water use. Energy companies are trying to buy water from farmers and other areas to continue working in the state.
Exxon Mobile has been recycling fluid used in the hydraulic fracturing of Eagle Ford shale. The process, known as fracking, uses high-pressure water mixed with chemicals and abrasives to crack rock deposits to release trapped natural gas and oil.
Shale in the Eagle Ford deposits requires much more water to fracture than other U.S. shale deposits. One well in the Eagle Ford deposit requires 13 million gallons of water, enough for more than 200 people for a year, Bloomberg News reports.
U.S. drought monitors put 94 percent of Texas in some state of drought as of June 7. The National Weather Service predicts precipitation amounts will remain les than average for much of the month.
Robert Mace, an official at the Texas Water Development Board, told Bloomberg the outlook is grim.
"It's pretty dry down here and a lot of oil companies are looking for water," he said.
