SPE Technical Section

Water Life Cycle and Strategy
Technical Section

The Water Handling and Management Committee is pleased to announce this technical section has been renamed to Water Life Cycle and Strategy. This change is part of the roadmap to re-develop the charter/constitution of this technical section and communicate a broader scope that would include surface and subsurface water issues and solutions.

We connect operators, service companies, researchers, and regulators to share practical guidance on water: source water, produced water, treatment & reuse, subsurface injection, monitoring, and risk & performance.

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Welcome & Overview

The Water Life Cycle and Strategy Technical Section will accomplish its mission by sharing ideas, promoting competence, and developing projects. We provide a forum for discussion and cooperation that bridges surface facilities and subsurface solutions.

Mission

Accomplish our mission by sharing ideas, promoting competence, and developing projects.

Community

SPE members interested in Water Life Cycle and Strategy with applications in the upstream oil and gas industry.

Objective

Expedite, facilitate, and provide a forum for discussion and cooperation on Water Life Cycle and Strategy.

Water Life Cycle — from Source to Strategy

A practical framework to organize discussions: define boundaries, quantify flows, manage quality and risk, and choose fit-for-purpose technologies and operating strategies.

① Source

Source & Supply

Water sourcing, compatibility, logistics, and constraints (seasonal, regulatory, and local stewardship).

② Use

Operations Use

Drilling, completion, facilities, and process water needs—where demand spikes and quality matters.

③ Produced

Produced Water

Volume forecasting, chemistry, solids, oil-in-water—what drives treatment complexity and cost.

④ Treat

Treatment & Conditioning

Fit-for-purpose treatment: membranes, flotation, filtration, biological, advanced oxidation, etc.

⑤ Reuse

Reuse / Recycling

Reuse pathways and reliability—integrating storage, blending, and operating envelopes.

⑥ Dispose

Disposal / Injection

Subsurface injection, induced seismicity considerations, monitoring, and long-term integrity.

Measurement & Monitoring

Metering, sampling strategy, online analyzers, data QC, and KPIs for operational and regulatory decisions.

Risk & Reliability

Failure modes (scaling, biofouling, corrosion), contingency planning, and resilience under variable feed quality.

Strategy & Governance

Water stewardship, policy alignment, stakeholder engagement, and “right-sized” reporting for credibility.

Goals

  • Promote Water Life Cycle and Strategy and technology development
  • Encourage the development of a cooperative framework for the Water Life Cycle and Strategy
  • Provide means for communications among the Water Life Cycle and Strategy community in the petroleum industry
  • Facilitate Water Life Cycle and Strategy efforts that meet the needs of industry, government, research companies and institutes, and academia
  • Hold annual section meeting at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition to offer opportunities to network and discuss research needs
  • Identify major issues/technology areas on which to focus interaction and discussion

Operational & Strategic Metrics (examples)

Water intensity by asset, reuse ratio, treatment uptime, chemical consumption, solids handling performance, and cost per barrel treated—paired with quality/fit-for-purpose thresholds and a clear uncertainty story.

Upcoming Event & Recommended Reading

Upcoming Event

Add the next webinar / SPE Live / workshop here

Suggested format: Title • Date/Time • Speaker • Register.

Publications • Recommended Reading

#1 Innovative and Integrated Digital Solution for Water-Handling Management System Using Machine Learning for Production Enhancement in a Brownfield

Authors: Santiago Davalos; Hugo Quevedo; Paul Castellanos; Erick Jacome; Neida Corella; Heidi Tipan; Jorge Yanez; Caren Basantes; Roberto Fuenmayor; Willem Sepulveda

Publications Recommended Reading banner

Past Events

Webinar banner: Revolutionizing offshore produced water treatment
Webinar
Revolutionizing offshore produced water treatment
Webinar banner: Recovery of critical minerals from produced water
Webinar
Recovery of critical minerals from produced water
SPE Live banner: Produced Water Management across the value chain
SPE Live
Produced Water Management across the value chain
SPE Live banner: Advanced membrane technology for produced water
SPE Live
Advanced membrane technology for produced water
Webinar banner: Produced Water Handling — best practices across the Lower 48
On-demand / Webinar
Produced Water Handling — best practices across the Lower 48
For more information on past SPE Workshops, click on the banners below!
SPE Workshop banner: Full Life Cycle Management of Produced Water
SPE Workshop
Full Life Cycle Management of Produced Water
SPE Workshop banner: Full Life Cycle Management of Produced Water (Galveston)
SPE Workshop
Full Life Cycle Management of Produced Water (Galveston)

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Join the Technical Section

Join to participate in discussions, propose topics, and help shape water strategy initiatives.

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Explore the Library

Find shared references, slide decks, and resources curated by the community.

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