Water key to North Dakota oil patch growth - BusinessWeek

The growth of North Dakota's oil patch is bringing heavy demands for water, and state and industry officials are waiting anxiously for federal permission to tap the Missouri River or risk hitting a ceiling for how much oil they can produce.

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Lynn Helms, director of the state Department of Mineral Resources, said drilling activity is at record levels, with an estimated 2,000 wells to come on line this year. The industry is slowed at present by the lack of crews to perform hydraulic fracturing, a process that uses pressurized fluid and sand to break open oil-bearing rock 2 miles underground. A record 1,213 new wells were drilled in North Dakota last year, "pretty much maxing out our available water resources," Helms said.

Water key to North Dakota oil patch growth - BusinessWeek