Solaris Midstream—Development of Water Infrastructure in the Permian Basin

Solaris Midstream of Midland, Texas, was tasked to develop fresh and produced water lines to be used in oil and gas production in an area south of Malaga, New Mexico, along the TX/NM border and in the heart of the Permian Basin. These pipelines would run from a 1-million-barrel or 42-million-gallon fresh water pond and pump station constructed in Texas just south of the TX/NM border and head north through Lea and Eddy Counties in New Mexico to fracking rigs. The intent was to construct a distribution pipeline and network that could pump water to and from various rigs in the region and eliminate the need to truck water to each site. The project alignment spanned over nine miles through arid, undeveloped land. The open terrain simplified layout and installation but caused other complications when it came to mobilizing crews and equipment to the project site. The closest towns where construction crews could stay were over an hour drive from the project site and the site itself started seven miles down a dirt road off a 2-lane highway. Completing design and ordering pipe material in late March 2018, beginning construction/installation in May 2018, and completing this installation by the deadline of July 1, 2018, required intensive coordination between Solaris Midstream (owner), Parnell (engineer), Blackline Energy Services (contractor), and all material and equipment suppliers. The dry, rocky soil conditions throughout the alignment presented another obstacle in maintaining pace for project completion. Aside from a few road and existing utility crossings that required bores, the majority of the alignment was installed by open trenching, required to contain both the 16-inch fresh water line and 12-inch produced water line in a shared trench with minimum 3 feet of cover. The tight schedule, long working days/hours, the rural area, site conditions for the work force, and lack of power or mobile phone coverage all added to the complexity of this project. The 12-inch produced water line was installed for future use. This paper will focus on the design, construction, coordination, challenges, and methods to maintain a steady installation rate over nine miles to complete the 16-inch fresh water line within weeks and to have it and the pump station complete and on-line by July 1, 2018.