Texas Regulators Hold Hearing on Treated Oilfield Wastewater Rules for Farmland
According to Permian Basin Oil and Gas Magazine, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is scheduled to hold a virtual and in-person public hearing Monday, June 16, at 9:30 a.m. in Austin on proposed rules for applying treated oilfield wastewater to Texas farmland and other non-disposal uses.
What’s Being Proposed
The TCEQ rulemaking would set treatment and quality standards for produced water before it can be applied to agricultural land, used for industrial cooling, or directed to other beneficial uses, according to the Texas Tribune as cited by Permian Basin Oil and Gas Magazine. TCEQ staff will be on hand to discuss the proposal, and public comments remain open through Tuesday, June 17, via the TCEQ website. The hearing will be available both in person in Austin and virtually for remote participants.
The proposed rules mark a significant step in Texas’s ongoing effort to find practical outlets for the enormous volumes of produced water generated by Permian Basin operations, moving beyond underground injection as the default disposal method.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Produced water haulers and disposal contractors should monitor this rulemaking closely. If farmland application becomes a permitted disposal pathway, it could shift demand away from saltwater disposal wells toward surface treatment and land-application services.
- Water treatment contractors may see new opportunities if TCEQ sets specific treatment standards, since operators will need vendors capable of meeting those benchmarks before water can be land-applied.
- Timeline matters now. The public comment window closes June 17, giving subcontractors with a stake in produced water handling only days to weigh in. Track the rulemaking on the TCEQ website and engage before standards are locked in.
- Agricultural and industrial cooling applications are both named in the proposal, meaning the addressable market for treated produced water services could extend beyond traditional oilfield clients.
