SUBLETTE COUNTY – The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality recently announced it is seeking comments about the proposed transfer of ownership of the Anticline Jensen facility and injection wells from NGL to Ultra Resources.

PureWest’s Kelly Bott confirmed the purchase of the infield water-handling facility and injection wells as part of the private operator’s mission of “mitigating the environmental impact of natural gas development and production.”

“Produced water management and recycling are a critical component to PureWest’s environmental commitments,” she said in an email.

“(The purchase) will allow us to manage the water volumes needed for our current completions strategy, which involves injecting larger volumes of water during completions in order to extract more gas with a smaller surface footprint. … The Jensen Facility, combined with the Sand Springs Injection Facility, will allow us to continue our practice of using 100-percent recycled water for completions, while also allowing us to properly dispose of natural occurring saline water and other flowback fluids, known as produced water – which is located in the same deep formations as oil and natural gas and is brought to the surface during the extraction process.”

Bott said Ultra retained the NGL facility’s two employees.

No construction or modification is proposed for the existing commercial oilfield waste disposal facility (COWDF), according to the DEQ, which requires a comment period before issuing the permit.

Bott said, “We are working closely with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to ensure that we are operating both facilities in accordance with current regulation and guidance, while also developing best management practices that will minimize the potential for upset conditions and allow us to manage these facilities in alignment with our mission of safe and responsible development.”

‘Pivotal role’

This purchase is also an example of Ultra and PureWest’s “continued commitment to conscious conservation of our freshwater resources.”

In 2021, PureWest became the first Rockies-based operator to receive the Freshwater Friendly Attribute, as a part of Project Canary’s TrustWell™ Responsibly Sourced Gas certification.

“This recognition underscores our commitment to conservation and recognizes PureWest’s 100 percent recycled water use for completions for over a decade,” Bott said. 

“Ultimately, we believe differentiated natural gas production will play a pivotal role in shaping long-term energy markets and providing essential energy to advance modern life. With over 1,500 locations still available to drill across the Pinedale Anticline, this purchase further positions PureWest as the supplier of choice across the Western U.S., adding to the existing infrastructure to responsibly scale natural gas production to meet increased demand.”

To comment

The DEQ public notice and Ultra application are at https://deq.wyoming.gov/water-quality/wqd-public-notices. The comment period began Nov. 25 and ends Dec. 24 at 5 p.m. MST. DEQ will consider all written comments on the draft permit and written requests from any interested person that requests a public hearing be held. Written comments can be mailed to Keenan Hendon, W&WW Section Manager, Water Quality Division, Department of Environmental Quality, 200 West 17th St., 2nd Floor, Cheyenne, WY 82002 or by fax to 307-635-1784. Electronic comments are only accepted at the DEQ comment portal at http://wq.wyomingdeq.commentinput.com.