Alberta's Freshwater Use for Hydraulic Fracturing in 2024/2025: Drought Pressures and Industry Response

As Alberta grapples with persistent drought conditions, freshwater consumption for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has emerged as a critical environmental and political issue. In 2024/2025, the province’s oil and gas sector faces heightened scrutiny over its water use, with fracking operations consuming billions of litres of freshwater annually—water that is permanently removed from the hydrological cycle^[1][2][3]. This report analyzes the scale of freshwater use, regulatory shifts, and industry adaptations amid escalating water scarcity.

Current Freshwater Consumption Trends

Volume and Allocation

In 2023, hydraulic fracturing operators in Alberta used 26.5 million cubic meters (m³) of nonsaline (fresh) water, accounting for 97% of total make-up water (water injected into wells)^[3][4]. This represents 20% of the energy sector’s total nonsaline water allocation, with the remainder unused due to licensing limits^[3][5]. Despite recycling efforts, only 2% of water used in fracking was recycled in 2023, far below the 82% recycling rate for the broader oil and gas industry^[3][4].

Water use intensity—the volume of freshwater required to produce one barrel of oil equivalent (BOE)—has surged by 204% since 2013, reaching 0.67 barrels/BOE in 2023^[3]. This increase correlates with longer horizontal wellbores, more fracture stages, and operations shifting to water-intensive formations like the Montney and Duvernay^[3][5]. For context, a single Duvernay well uses 10 times more water than a Cardium Formation well^[3].

Regional Pressures

The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) identifies southern Alberta and the Peace River region as particularly vulnerable due to extreme drought^[1][6]. In 2024, snowpack levels in the Rockies were 72% below historical averages, exacerbating water scarcity^[6]. The South Saskatchewan River Basin, where 92% of water allocations go to oil and gas, faces acute stress, with groundwater levels in areas like Kananaskis Country declining precipitously^[7][4].

Drought-Driven Regulatory Changes

Licensing and Reporting Reforms

In August 2024, British Columbia’s Energy Regulator mandated that fracking operators differentiate between saline fluid (recycled flowback/produced water) and nonsaline fluid (freshwater) in reporting, aiming to incentivize alternative water use^[8]. Alberta’s AER followed suit, prioritizing term water licenses over temporary diversion licenses (TDLs) to improve oversight^[9][10]. The Auditor General’s July 2024 report criticized Alberta’s surface water management, noting:
> “The department lacks robust processes to monitor water pressures, assess risks, and enforce compliance with diversion limits”^[9].

Municipal Restrictions

Local governments have taken unilateral action. The Mountain View Regional Water Services Commission banned fracking from accessing treated municipal water in early 2024, citing drought preparedness^[11][7]. This policy shift reflects growing tensions between agricultural communities—which hold 46.6% of provincial water allocations—and industrial users^[5][12].

Industry Adaptation Strategies

Recycling and Alternative Water Sourcing

Projects like Aqua Pure Technologies’ PROH2O® system aim to recycle 35,000–40,000 m³ of fracking wastewater by 2025, reducing freshwater demand and cutting CO₂ emissions by 42% through reduced trucking^[13]. However, such initiatives remain marginal; in 2023, alternative water sources (saline groundwater, produced water) constituted only 3% of fracking make-up water^[3].

The AER’s Directive 077 (2023) facilitates temporary pipelines for alternative water transport, addressing logistical barriers^[3]. Despite this, operators in “dry” formations (e.g., Duvernay) still rely on freshwater due to limited produced water availability^[3].

Waterless Fracking Pilots

GasFrac’s propane-gel technology—which uses 1/8th the liquid volume of water-based fracking—has seen limited adoption due to cost and technical constraints^[1][3].

Political and Community Responses

Policy Advocacy

The Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) passed Resolution 7-24F in July 2024, demanding:

• Priority for agricultural/residential water use during droughts.
• Removal of the AER’s authority over water licenses, transferring it to Alberta Environment and Protected Areas^[12].
  The resolution argues:
  > “Current freshwater curtailment policies fail to reflect Albertans’ moral obligation to prioritize food security over industrial needs”^[12].

Public Opposition

In Mountain View County, a proposal to map fracking sites and correlate them with soil moisture deficits was defeated, highlighting divisions between landowners and industry^[14]. Meanwhile, the Alberta Wilderness Association warns that 99% of fracking water remains unrecoverable, threatening aquatic ecosystems^[10].

Conclusion: Balancing Energy and Water Security

Alberta’s fracking sector faces a pivotal challenge: reducing freshwater dependence while maintaining production amid LNG Canada’s impending demand surge^[6]. While regulatory reforms and recycling projects mark progress, the 0.67 barrels/BOE freshwater intensity in 2023—and projected drought intensification—underscore systemic risks^[3][6].

Recommendations for policymakers include:

• Accelerating alternative water infrastructure funding, leveraging AER’s Directive 077.
• Enforcing binding water-sharing agreements during droughts, prioritizing essential uses.
• Investing in real-time groundwater monitoring to prevent over-allocation.

As the province navigates its worst drought in decades, the fracking industry’s ability to adopt sustainable practices will determine its social license to operate. With 26.5 million m³ of freshwater still consumed annually for fracking, the stakes for Alberta’s water future have never been higher^[3][4].

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• https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-drought-fracking/   
• https://www.ehn.org/alberta-braces-for-water-scarcity-as-fracking-intensifies 
• https://www.aer.ca/data-and-performance-reports/industry-performance/water-use-performance/hydraulic-fracturing-water-use             
• https://www.aer.ca/data-and-performance-reports/industry-performance/water-use-performance    
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/water-allocation-to-alberta-oil-and-gas-producers-up-sharply-in-past-15-years-1.7230135   
• https://www.theenergymix.com/persistent-drought-could-disrupt-fracking-operations-in-western-canada/    
• https://www.theenergymix.com/alberta-water-agency-cuts-access-for-fracking-as-prairie-drought-continues/  
• https://www.bc-er.ca/news/amendment-to-hydraulic-fracturing-water-reporting-tu-2024-09/ 
• https://www.oag.ab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Surface-Water-Management-PA.pdf  
• https://albertawilderness.ca/fresh-water-use-in-oil-and-gas-fracking-operations/  
• https://energynow.ca/2024/02/with-alberta-facing-a-continuing-drought-some-communities-are-banning-oil-and-gas-industry-from-using-municipal-water/ 
• https://rmalberta.com/resolutions/7-24f-improved-water-license-approval-and-compliance-processes/   
• https://www.eralberta.ca/projects/details/recycling-fracking-water-to-combat-water-scarcity-and-reduce-emissions-in-albertas-oil-and-gas-industry/ 
• https://www.thealbertan.com/mountain-view-county-news/pitch-to-track-fracking-sites-in-mountain-view-county-defeated-9963158