Alberta statistics on freshwater use for fracking

Freshwater use for fracking (hydraulic fracturing) in Alberta has increased sharply over the past decade, with the sector using about 24–25 billion litres of fresh water annually in recent years and fracking now accounting for approximately 10% of the oil and gas sector's freshwater consumption. In 2022, fracking used about 25.4 billion litres, up from 7 billion litres in 2013 (a 252% overall increase).capp+2

Key points and context:

• Annual freshwater use: Approximately 24 million cubic metres (~24 billion litres) in 2019; 25.4 billion litres reported for 2022.capp+1

• Sector comparison: Oil sands mining is by far the largest user of water in Alberta's energy sector, consuming ~230 billion litres in 2022 (87% of sector total), while fracking used about 10% of the sector's freshwater.thenarwhal+1

• Source of water: ~95–99% of the water used for fracking is fresh (from surface water and groundwater); only a small fraction is alternative or recycled water.albertawilderness+1

• Share of provincial allocation: Hydraulic fracturing accounted for just 0.17% of all water allocated in Alberta in 2020.capp

• Usage intensity: Nonsaline water use intensity for fracking is 0.67 barrels per barrel of oil equivalent (bbl/BOE). This is lower than oil sands mining but higher than in situ operations.aer

• Water recycling: Only around 2% of total water used in fracking was recycled water in 2023, with the rest being “make-up water.” Most water used in fracking does not return to the environment and is lost from the active water cycle.aer+1

• Trends: While the number of wells has not increased dramatically, water use per well has risen as longer horizontal wells and more fracture stages have become common, especially in formations like the Montney and Duvernay.aer+1

In summary, while fracking uses much less water than oil sands mining, its use of freshwater in Alberta has grown both in terms of total volume and water use per well, making it an increasing point of concern especially under drought conditions.thenarwhal

1. https://www.aer.ca/data-and-performance-reports/industry-performance/water-use-performance/hydraulic-fracturing-water-use
2. https://www.aer.ca/data-and-performance-reports/industry-performance/water-use-performance
3. https://www.capp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/5-Fast-Facts-on-Albertas-Upstream-Oil-Gas-Water-Use.pdf
4. https://www.capp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Water-use-for-Hydraulic-Fracturing-in-Alberta-398997.pdf
5. https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-drought-fracking/
6. https://stand.earth/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Fracking-water-report-pdf.pdf
7. https://albertawilderness.ca/fresh-water-use-in-oil-and-gas-fracking-operations/
8. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/water-allocation-to-alberta-oil-and-gas-producers-up-sharply-in-past-15-years-1.7230135
9. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/0d0b5d16-20da-48bb-9f85-dded8356067a/resource/2820a350-c3ae-4d5f-9e0f-ef3eacae74e5/download/fsfracturing-june-2017.pdf
10. https://albertalawreview.com/index.php/ALR/article/download/2656/2610/2923
11. https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-sources/fossil-fuels/alberta-s-shale-tight-resources