STATE
70-foot wastewater geyser reflects New Mexico鈥檚 latest oil field challenge
It鈥檚 a towering example of the contentious debate over what to do with the state鈥檚 ever-growing supply of oil field waste
At first, Jackie Onsurez thought it was smoke.
Driving the highway between Loving and Carlsbad on May 19, Onsurez noticed something unusual rising above an oilfield site operated by . As he got closer, he realized the 70-foot plume was not smoke but a geyser of toxic oil field wastewater 鈥� known as produced water 鈥� erupting from a pipe.
Onsurez, an engineer and member of New Mexico鈥檚 State Emergency Response Commission, immediately began calling NGL, 911, the New Mexico Environment Department and local officials. A roughneck arrived moments later and tried unsuccessfully to stop the spray.
鈥淗e started to haul ass out of there,鈥� Onsurez recalled. 鈥淗e said, 鈥楪et out of here. There鈥檚 gas coming out. I don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 there.鈥欌��
Onsurez stayed. Just a day earlier, he had attended a commission meeting about hazardous-material spills.
鈥淚 was able to observe firsthand the equipment and training needed out here,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he only people with protective gear were the firefighters when they arrived.鈥�
The fire department soon cordoned off the area, and NGL workers shut down the leak. By then, Onsurez had spent roughly 30 minutes at the site, though it remains unclear how long the wastewater had been spewing before he arrived.
The contaminated water crossed the road and flowed into a drainage ditch. Onsurez also alerted Alisa Ogden, a farmer, rancher and member of the Carlsbad Soil and Water Conservation District.
鈥淚 said, 鈥業t looks like this might be getting into your acequias,鈥欌�� Onsurez said.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 know what happens, you can鈥檛 do anything about it,鈥� Ogden said. She credited Onsurez with helping prevent the spill from reaching the Pecos River.
According to a report filed with the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division, a 1-inch nipple on a high-pressure injection line broke, causing the blowout. NGL reported that 40 barrels of produced water escaped, with 10 recovered and the remaining 30 flowing into the ditch.
State officials said samples were collected from the site and are awaiting analysis.
鈥淎ccidents do happen,鈥� Ogden said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 how you react to them.鈥� She added that NGL has agreed to handle cleanup efforts.
NGL did not respond to requests for comment.
The incident also renewed scrutiny of the company鈥檚 operations. In December 2024, a state inspector documented a wastewater leak at the same site. Asked about a missing follow-up inspection, state officials said they would investigate why the compliance matter remained unresolved.
NGL transports oil, gas and wastewater across several major energy-producing states and describes itself as the nation鈥檚 largest independent wastewater transporter and disposal company, handling nearly a billion barrels last year.
By New Mexico standards, however, the Loving spill was relatively small. Between Jan. 1 and May 19, oil companies reported 356 wastewater spills statewide totaling more than 15,000 barrels. The largest this year released 2,000 barrels near a neighborhood in Farmington.
Still, the visible geyser highlighted one of the oil industry鈥檚 fastest-growing controversies: what to do with the massive and growing volume of produced water generated by drilling.
In 2025, New Mexico oil producers generated more than 2.7 billion barrels of wastewater 鈥� more than triple the amount of oil extracted. Produced water is highly saline and often contains petroleum compounds, fracking chemicals and naturally occurring radioactive materials. Because many fracking additives are protected as trade secrets, regulators and emergency responders may not know exactly what contaminants are present.
Outside limited testing, New Mexico currently prohibits using produced water beyond oil field operations.
Most wastewater is injected deep underground through disposal wells like the one near Loving. But disposal capacity is becoming strained as underground formations fill and shift under intense pressure, contributing to earthquakes across the Permian Basin. In some cases, injected wastewater has breached old wells, causing leaks and geysers.
The spill comes as state regulators again consider whether treated produced water could someday be reused outside the oil industry. The proposal, backed by the industry group Water, Access, Treatment and Reuse Alliance, would allow expanded treatment and reuse under new regulations.
Supporters (including Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham) argue that treated wastewater could become an important new water source in drought-stricken New Mexico.
鈥淪pills happen because oil field wastewater management is massive, constant and operationally complex,鈥� said alliance co-founder Matthias Sayer. He argued the state needs stronger incentives for recycling and treatment.
Opponents remain skeptical. Tannis Fox, a senior attorney with the , said the science around large-scale treatment remains unsettled.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know all the constituents in produced water because the hydraulic fracturing fluids industry uses are protected by trade secret rules,鈥� Fox said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a problem for emergency response workers if you don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 in those fluids.鈥�
Fox also said large-scale testing and reuse have not yet been proven safe.
鈥淩euse of produced water at an industrial scale is not there yet,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o it is not a solution to water scarcity tomorrow.鈥�
Capital & Main is a Los Angeles-based online publication that reports on matters such as climate change, economic inequality, threats to democracy, healthcare, immigration, and hate and extremism.
