Water management

Developed and developing nations are increasingly faced with issues of water scarcity and reduced water quality. ExxonMobil continually seeks ways to reduce water use and preserve water quality through the design and operation of our facilities, recycling and reuse, and measures to prevent water pollution. Our approaches include on-site water reuse, purchase of treated wastewater for use as process water, and enhancements in processes to decrease water needs. In 2008, the net consumption of fresh water at our operations was 2200 million barrels.

We manage water use in our operations around the world, just as we do any other potential environmental impact associated with our operations. ExxonMobil Development Company’s Environmental Standard for water management requires major upstream projects to conduct an assessment of the local water resources. The Standard also establishes project planning and design requirements for major upstream projects to consider mitigations for reducing unnecessary usage of water resources. ExxonMobil operations around the world evaluate water use issues and undertake water improvement initiatives, where appropriate, as part of their respective Environmental Business Planning efforts.

For example, our Cold Lake operations in Canada have significantly reduced the amount of water required for the production of oil sands that are buried too deeply for surface mining. Large amounts of steam are necessary for injection into the underground deposits to soften the hydrocarbon resource so it can be pumped to the surface for extraction. As a result of improvements since the mid-1980s, more than 95 percent of the water used during recovery operations is recycled to produce more steam.