UTA extends partnership with Apache Corporation on water quality study in West Texas

Thursday, Dec 21, 2017 • Media Contact : Louisa Kellie

Kevin Schug, associate dean of UTA’s College of Science and director of The Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation or CLEAR.

The Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation at The University of Texas at Arlington and Apache Corporation have extended their partnership to study surface and groundwater quality in the Alpine High region of West Texas.

CLEAR's study has been extended by an additional year to augment baseline surface and groundwater quality data and support ongoing water quality monitoring efforts in southern Reeves County.  Monitoring parameters include the same methods of analysis as the initial project that target thousands of organic, inorganic and biological constituents that can be found in water.

“Throughout the exploration and early stages of development in Alpine High, Apache has taken proactive steps to protect the land, water and wildlife resources of the area,” said Castlen Kennedy, vice president of public affairs for Apache. “Our partnership with CLEAR provides valuable data that helps ensure Alpine High is developed safely and responsibly.”

Zacariah Hildenbrand, scientific contributor to CLEAR, added, “This is great news for southern Reeves County and for anyone who enjoys the natural beauty of West Texas. It is important that we continue to monitor environmental quality in this beloved region, which is exactly what this partnership has empowered us to do.”

The partnership will also provide continued support for a separate research project that evaluates stimulation additives to help optimize efficiency in the completion of oil and gas wells. In partnership with Apache, CLEAR is evaluating the effectiveness of environmentally friendly well stimulation additives and any efficiencies that oil and gas well completions may gain from using such additives. 

“This is an exceptional opportunity to work in collaboration with oil and gas industry experts to expand knowledge regarding the down-hole performance and stability of stimulation additives used in modern well completions. Our objective with this study is to demonstrate that environmentally responsible additives can be effectively used in the well stimulation process,” said Kevin Schug, associate dean of UTA’s College of Science and director of CLEAR.

To learn more about CLEAR, visit http://clear.uta.edu