Produced Water Memorandum of Understanding Between NMED and NMSU
The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and New Mexico State University (NMSU) entered into an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) MOU- 2019, which created the Produced Water Research Consortium. 2019 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU 2019). Through this consortium, New Mexico will continue to lead the country in advancing scientific and technological solutions related to the treatment and reuse of produced water generated by the oil and gas industry. An updated MOU (MOU- 2022) was signed on November 10, 2022.
The consortium will develop a framework to fill scientific and technical knowledge gaps necessary to establish regulations and policies for the treatment of produced water. Such regulations and policies must be protective of public health and the environment while encouraging the oil and natural gas industry to rely less on fresh water and more on reuse of produced water. The memorandum of understanding spurs economic investment opportunities in New Mexico through NMSU, which will rely on public and private funding to carry out this research.
The expertise of NMSU and NMED will be augmented by consortium members from academia, national laboratories, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and state and federal agencies. NMSU will manage the consortium membership and process, with some assistance from NMED.
For additional information on the NM Produced Water Research Consortium, visit https://nmpwrc.nmsu.edu/.
- January 20, 2021: NMED memo to NMPWRC regarding 2021 pilot projects
- January 3, 2022: NMED memo to NMPWRC regarding protecting water quality and public health during research activities
- July 5, 2022 memo (replaces January 20, 2021, and January 3, 2022 memos): NMED memo to NMPWRC regarding protecting water quality and public health during research activities (replaces January 20, 2021, and January 3, 2022 memos)