Select Water Solutions, Inc. and its subsidiaries (Select) provide sustainable water-management solutions to the energy industry in the U.S.
As a leader in the water management industry, the company places the utmost importance on safe, environmentally responsible management of water throughout the lifecycle of a well.
With a diverse geographic footprint across the U.S., the company operates through three primary segments: Water Infrastructure, Water Services, and Chemical Technologies.
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Select Water Solutions, Inc. and its subsidiaries (Select) provide sustainable water-management solutions to the energy industry in the U.S.
As a leader in the water management industry, the company places the utmost importance on safe, environmentally responsible management of water throughout the lifecycle of a well.
With a diverse geographic footprint across the U.S., the company operates through three primary segments: Water Infrastructure, Water Services, and Chemical Technologies.
The company’s Water Infrastructure segment develops, builds, and operates permanent and semi-permanent infrastructure solutions to support full life cycle water management and waste treatment solutions. These solutions incorporate both new oil and gas well development and ongoing production activity, including recycling and disposal of flowback and produced water and the associated logistics. As its customers transition from appraisal to full-field development, and also transition to treated produced water to complete new wells, the company’s fixed infrastructure networks can provide environmental benefits by reducing the demand for water disposal, water hauling by truck and fresh water demand, while at the same time enabling economies of scale that help reduce customer capital expenditures and lease operating expenses over the life of the field. These water networks can also help balance water supply across regions and customers to promote greater water reuse.
The company’s Water Infrastructure operations are underpinned by a growing portfolio of long-term contractual agreements, and accompanying customer commitments, that encompass the delivery of water needed for the near-term development of new oil and gas wells but also provide the long-term solutions that manage produced water over the entire production life of a well. These agreements, which commonly entail higher operating margins over a longer contractual term, underscore its commitment to its customers and its role as primary environmental steward for these operations. The company’s infrastructure networks facilitate for the gathering and takeaway of produced water, as well as the treatment, reuse and delivery of treated produced water. Its infrastructure assets include permanent pipeline infrastructure, semi-permanent pipeline infrastructure, fixed and mobile treatment and recycling facilities, water storage facilities, saltwater disposal wells (SWDs) and landfill facilities.
The company is actively expanding its portfolio of water recycling facilities across multiple regions, emphasizing water recycling opportunities as a cornerstone of its operations. The company recognizes produced water as an invaluable, sustainable non-potable water source, naturally generated from ongoing oil and/or gas production. Through its dedicated efforts in recycling, the company intends to progressively reduce the proportion of produced water being reinjected into SWDs over time, thereby diminishing the industry’s reliance on fresh water and reinforcing its commitment to responsible resource management.
Additionally, the company is pursuing recycling solutions beyond traditional reuse for oil and gas operations that could enable the beneficial reuse of produced water for non-energy applications. This could enable substitution of treated produced water in general industry and agriculture, or other stewardship-oriented applications, such as wildlife rehabilitation, carbon capture and sequestration, or drought mitigation, among other opportunities. Further advancements could preserve substantial fresh water sources and enable the industry to become a contributor to the water lifecycle.
The company’s Water Services segment provides the complex services needed to support new well completions, as well as ongoing production over the life of the well, including water transfer, water sourcing, flowback and well testing, water containment, fluids hauling, water monitoring, and water network automation, as well as various on-site rental equipment and accommodation offerings. Through its patented WaterONE automation services and the company’s proprietary AquaView software platform, its Water Services segment provides extensive technology solutions that enable 24/7 monitoring and visibility for its customers into all of their water-related operations, including hydrographic mapping, water volume and quality monitoring, remote pit and tank monitoring, leak detection, asset and fuel tracking and automated-equipment services.
The company’s Chemical Technologies segment develops, manufactures, manages logistics, and provides a full suite of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, stimulation, cementing, pipelines, and well completions. Its completion chemicals are sold primarily to leading integrated and independent E&P companies and pressure-pumping service companies in the U.S. to support well stimulation and completion. The company also provides customized water treatment and flow assurance solutions across the completion and production lifecycle. Additionally, through its FluidMatch solutions, it provides comprehensive testing and analysis of its customers’ application conditions, product chemistry and key performance requirements for oil and gas well completion fluid-system design. This process may include water profiling, application and fluid assessment, treatment assessment, product selection, optimization, and customization.
The company also develops and sources water treatment and completion chemicals that are a critical part of the U.S. energy industry. The company’s team of chemists and research and development personnel work directly with its customers to support the optimization of water quality and their fracturing fluid systems through its FluidMatch solutions. Through laboratory and application experience, the company applies its expertise in chemistry to develop, manufacture and supply a wide range of specialized and customizable products to its customers for their well completion fluid systems.
The company provides services that support the operator’s management of flowback and produced water for either reuse or disposal. Additionally, its customized chemical treatment programs help improve well productivity, thereby extending the economic life of its customers’ oil and gas wells. Ultimately, the company’s customers are required to manage more than 24 billion barrels of produced water annually.
Segments
The company operates through three primary segments: Water Infrastructure, Water Services, and Chemical Technologies.
Water Infrastructure Segment
The company’s Water Infrastructure segment provides recycling, gathering, transferring and disposal of water. Water Infrastructure operations are provided through or enabled by a network of permanent pipeline infrastructure, semi-permanent pipeline infrastructure, water recycling facilities, earthen pits, water sources, and SWDs.
Water Infrastructure Service Lines
The company’s Water Infrastructure segment is divided into the following service lines:
Water Recycling & Reuse: The company is one of the largest providers of water treatment and recycling to the energy industry, offering tailored solutions to meet specific customer water quality and delivery needs. Its Water Recycling & Reuse business utilizes both standard and proprietary processes and technology, including mechanical and chemical technologies, to provide high-quality, large volume throughput and cost-optimized recycling and reuse solutions for its E&P customers. These solutions are primarily designed for recycling and reusing flowback and produced water from existing operations to meet customer’s well completion water needs. By providing high-quality completion water volumes, it reduces the need for freshwater sourcing and disposal into SWDs. The company’s recycling operations consist of temporary, semi-permanent and permanent infrastructure, including above-ground and in-ground containment, along with treatment processing assets and facilities capable of recycling large volumes of produced water for reuse in hydraulic fracturing.
Since 2022, the company has invested substantially in developing produced water recycling infrastructure, commencing operations in both the Delaware and Midland Basin portions of the Permian Basin and DJ Basin portion of the Rockies Region. Its combined mobile and fixed recycling operations include a consolidated daily throughput capacity of approximately 3.2 million barrels per day of active produced water recycling capacity and 21 million barrels of produced water storage. The company’s recycling process involves treating water by removing contaminants, sediments, and chemicals from water used during drilling and completions, enabling its reuse in further completion operations. This approach significantly reduces freshwater consumption and minimizes wastewater disposal, supporting environmental sustainability in oil and gas operations.
In 2024, the company experienced organic growth in its recycling operations due to several factors, including the commercial success of its business development team in securing long-term projects and increased activity levels from existing asset bases. The company expanded its recycling system infrastructure, particularly in the Permian Basin. It anticipates further growth ahead with planned expansions and new recycling infrastructure, especially in the Permian Basin. These developments, along with new long-term contracts, are supporting its continued organic growth and enhancing its capacity to provide sustainable water management solutions to the energy industry.
Pipelines & Logistics: The company has developed some of its larger, strategic water sources into comprehensive, permanent pipeline systems designed to provide water used for drilling, completion and production activity across a wide geography or to collect and redistribute produced water into its recycling and disposal facilities. In many instances, the company also provides the associated storage and logistics needed to deliver the water directly to its customers’ wellsite’s. The company has developed or acquired pipeline systems in the Permian Basin, including the Northern Delaware Basin of New Mexico and the Midland Basin in Texas, the Bakken Shale in North Dakota, the Haynesville Shale in Louisiana and the DJ Basin in Colorado within the Rockies region. These pipeline networks encompass more than 1,000 miles of temporary and permanent pipeline infrastructure and related storage facilities and pumps throughout the Permian Basin, more than 90 miles of gathering and distribution pipelines in the Bakken Shale, a 60-mile dual lined buried gathering and distribution pipeline system in the Haynesville Shale and other long-term contracted gathering pipeline and distribution systems in the MidCon and Rockies regions. These pipelines utilize a combination of industrial, surface and produced water sources and include a number of long-term contracts, including take-or-pay agreements, minimum volume commitments and acreage dedications supporting the operations.
Fluid Disposal: In 2024, the company continued to add to its SWD infrastructure with multiple strategic acquisitions. The Trinity Acquisition added saltwater disposal wells and pipelines in the Permian Basin, bolstering its presence in this key region. The company also added a strategic SWD well in the Permian Basin through an asset acquisition in Eddy County, New Mexico. The Bobcat Acquisition enhanced the company’s disposal operations in the Marcellus/Utica region. The Iron Mountain Acquisition and Tri-State Acquisition strengthened its fluids and solids treatment and disposal assets in the Haynesville region. Further, the Rockies Infrastructure Acquisition improved water disposal operations in that region. Altogether, these acquisitions significantly increased the number of active SWDs under its ownership and operation. The company manages an extensive portfolio of active SWDs spanning across the Permian, MidCon, Bakken, South Texas, Rockies, Marcellus/Utica, and Haynesville regions, establishing a leading presence in key unconventional basins. It also has substantial additional permitted, undeveloped disposal capacity and permits in process that provide growth opportunities in strategic areas. In aggregate, the company commands a daily permitted disposal capacity of more than 2.2 million barrels per day across its operational footprint. The company’s disposal services cater to both flowback water generated during and shortly following well completion operations and naturally occurring produced water extracted during the oil and natural gas production process over the life of a well. These volumes are transported to its SWDs through networks of owned and third-party gathering pipelines, as well as a fleet of owned and third-party fluid hauling trucks, ensuring the efficient logistical management of this critical aspect of its operations.
Solids Management: Select operates four landfill and solids treatment facilities strategically positioned to support the company’s customers' waste management needs in the Bakken and Northeast regions. These include a 50-acre special waste landfill in North Dakota, acquired through the Nuverra acquisition, with more than five million cubic yards of permitted capacity. The facility primarily handles solid waste from the E&P industry. Two additional landfill facilities, acquired through the Buckhorn acquisition, are located in Montana and North Dakota. The Montana facility spans 400 acres and is permitted to manage over 25,000 tons of waste annually, including technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) and other non-hazardous industrial byproducts. The North Dakota facility encompasses 565 acres and is permitted to manage up to 360,000 tons of waste annually, further enhancing waste management capabilities in the Bakken region. Select also operates a solids treatment facility in Ohio within the Marcellus/Utica basin. This facility treats up to 3,000 barrels per day of liquids-equivalent contaminated and residual solids, offers tank cleanout and lab services, and connects via pipeline to a Select wastewater disposal facility.
Water Infrastructure Geographic Areas of Operation
The company provides its Water Infrastructure offerings in most of the major unconventional shale plays in the continental U.S.
Water Infrastructure Customers
The company’s Water Infrastructure customers primarily include major integrated and independent U.S. and international oil and gas producers.
Water Services Segment
The company’s Water Services segment consists of its services businesses, including water transfer, flowback and well testing, water sourcing, fluids hauling, water monitoring, water containment and water network automation, primarily serving E&P companies. Additionally, this segment includes the operations of its accommodations and rentals business.
Water Services Service Lines
The company’s Water Services segment is divided into the following service lines:
Water Sourcing: The company’s Water Sourcing service line provides water, permitting, and in some instances, necessary logistics required by its E&P customers to support their drilling and completion operations. Its sourcing efforts include identifying, developing and obtaining the right to use water from a variety of sources, including surface, subsurface, industrial, municipal, and produced water. Through a portfolio of contracts with and permits from regulatory bodies, corporations and individual landowners, the company has secured rights of approximately two billion barrels of water annually from hundreds of strategically located sources across the U.S.
Water Transfer: The company is the largest provider of water transfer services to the industry. Its Water Transfer service line installs temporary above-ground pipeline systems that can be equipped with full automation to deliver water autonomously at high volumes and rates from a water source to water containment facilities (tanks and pits), or directly to the wellsite.
The company installs layflat hose as part of a flexible water transfer solution that can be customized to fit a specific project. Its layflat hose allows for quick, cost-effective deployment and removal of transfer assets with limited environmental disturbance and can be quickly redeployed for new projects, including projects in different geographic regions. Layflat hose has a significantly lower risk of spills than most other types of temporary jointed pipe as a result of the strength and durability of the hose, as well as the secure nature of any coupling joints used to connect multiple sections of hose. The company’s layflat hose primarily consists of 12-inch diameter segments, powered by mobile pumps. Historically, this equipment has been powered by diesel; however, it is actively developing and deploying electric pumping units, which should decrease emissions and further reduce the environmental impact of its operations.
Water Network Automation: The company’s proprietary and industry-leading automation technologies provide integrated water transfer solutions with automated pump operation, automated valve control, automated blending and proportioning capabilities, automated manifolds, level monitoring and data collection with analytics. The company is able to provide its customers with increased visibility into their water inventories and usage, improving their efficiency and decreasing their costs. The company’s technology also provides it with the unique ability to detect potential issues and prevent them from occurring, as well as to reduce manpower and equipment on certain jobs, in turn mitigating safety and environmental risks while reducing overall fuel emissions.
Water Containment: The company provides a diverse set of primary and secondary containment solutions for the temporary storage and containment of water and fluids. It is the largest provider of high-capacity aboveground water storage tanks (ASTs) in the U.S. The company offers ASTs ranging in size from 4,500 to 82,000 barrels (or 189,000 to 3.4 million gallons) per tank, with remote monitoring capability in every major U.S. basin. Its ASTs provide a high-volume, low-cost containment alternative to traditional mobile storage tanks, which typically hold 500 barrels (or 21,000 gallons). ASTs can also be set up as part of the company’s Water Treatment & Recycling service offerings, which can be bundled with its Water Sourcing and Water Transfer services. A 40,000-barrel AST can be delivered by three trucks and installed in a single day, replacing the equivalent of 80 trucks delivering individual 500-barrel mobile storage tanks. This reduction in truck traffic provides a significant reduction in traffic congestion in local communities, as well as the associated emissions from the transportation of mobile storage tanks. The company’s modular tank design allows for twenty different tank configurations to meet each customer’s individual needs. The company also offers assorted secondary containment solutions, from drive-over to raised barriers and multi-ringed nested AST solutions, that are designed to reduce the risk and environmental impact of potential spills.
Fluids Hauling: The company operates over 800 tractor trailers and body load trucks and is one of the largest providers of fluids hauling to the oil and gas industry. The company’s Fluids Hauling group provides transportation for water and various drilling, completion, and production fluids, utilizing its fleet of vacuum, winch and kill trucks, hot oilers, and hydrovacs, along with other related assets, such as mobile storage tanks. Its operations span the Permian, MidCon, Bakken, Eagle Ford, Marcellus/Utica, Haynesville, and Rockies regions.
Flowback and Well Testing: The company’s flowback and well testing services, covering a dynamic range of temperature, pressure, volume and H2S concentrations, adds value for its customers by providing well productivity data associated with its services, including fracturing support, fracturing plug drill out, flaring operations, ventless flowback operations, sand management and production testing. The company’s specialized well testing equipment is outfitted with advanced metering and telemetry, bringing remote visibility to its customers. Services are provided by highly-trained personnel that specialize in delivering performance optimization, or its high demand equipment is available for rental without personnel. The company is one of the largest flowback and well testing providers both in service and rental equipment inventory to the U.S. land industry. Additionally, certain of its services utilize specialized, closed-loop vapor tanks that prevent the release of methane and vapors to the atmosphere during drill out and flowback operations.
Some of the company’s operations are governed by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) emissions regulations. For example, it offers green completions through its mobile production facilities, which is a collaborative process that attempts to safely contain and combust flare gas, reducing emissions at the wellsite. This provides the company’s customers with enhanced emissions reduction solutions to help meet their sustainability targets and initiatives without the need for an external power supply, further reducing the environmental impact.
Accommodations and Rentals: The company’s accommodations and rentals service line provides workforce accommodations and surface rental equipment supporting drilling, completion and production operations in the U.S. onshore energy industry. The services provided include fully furnished office and living quarters, freshwater supply and wastewater treatment and removal, portable power generation and light plants, internet, phone, intercom, surveillance and monitoring services and other long-term rentals supporting field personnel.
Water Services Geographic Areas of Operation
The company provides its Water Services offerings in most of the major unconventional shale plays in the continental U.S.
Water Services Customers
The company’s Water Services customers primarily include major integrated and independent U.S. and international oil and gas producers.
Chemical Technologies Segment
Within the company’s Chemical Technologies segment, it develops, manufactures, manages logistics and provides a full suite of completion chemical products utilized in hydraulic fracturing, stimulation, cementing and related well completion processes. The company sells chemicals and provide services primarily to leading E&P operators and pressure-pumping service companies in the U.S. The company also provides customized water treatment and flow assurance solutions to its customers throughout the lifecycle of a well.
Chemical Technologies Service Lines
The company’s Chemical Technologies segment is made up of the following service lines:
Chemical Manufacturing: The company is a specialty manufacturer of polyacrylamides, surfactants, crosslinkers and other custom chemistries. Polyacrylamides, or friction reducers, are water-soluble polymers that reduce friction and boost viscosity of the hydraulic fluid during application in energy production. The company manufactures this reactive chemistry in Midland, Texas and Tyler, Texas with regional distribution facilities across the United States. The company’s in-basin manufacturing provides reduced lead times to decrease non-productive time on location for its customers with fully automated processes from raw materials to finished goods. The company is among the largest manufacturers of friction reducers to the energy industry, producing anionic, cationic and viscosifying friction reducers. Its manufacturing is supported by in-house logistics and comprehensive lab services.
Completion Chemicals: The company’s Completion Chemicals service line provides technical solutions, products and expertise related to chemical applications in the energy industry. It develops solutions, manage logistics and provide a full suite of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, stimulation, cementing, pipelines and well completions for customers ranging from major integrated and independent oil and gas producers to pressure pumpers. This service line also utilizes its chemical experience and lab testing capabilities to customize tailored water treatment solutions designed to optimize the fracturing fluid system in conjunction with the quality of water used in well completions. Through the company’s Completion Chemicals service line, it develops and provides a full suite of chemicals utilized in hydraulic fracturing, stimulation and cementing, including polymers that create viscosity, crosslinkers, friction reducers, surfactants, buffers, breakers and other chemical technologies. It sources the company’s products through its own manufacturing operations, as well as through third-party producers and distributors. The company provides 24/7/365 time-critical logistical support to its customers and its warehousing and service includes inventory management with computerized tracking and monthly reporting. The company uses automated communications systems combined with direct-to-wellsite delivery to ensure seamless product availability for its customers. With its expertise in fracturing chemistry, it can develop customized products to meet customers’ frac-fluid system requirements.
Water Treatment: Through the company’s Water Treatment service line, it provides advanced water treatment solutions throughout the well lifecycle, as well as specialized stimulation flow assurance and integrity management, and post-treatment monitoring services in the U.S. land market. The company’s specialty chemicals are used in applications, such as water conditioning, water recycling, on-the-fly treatment and water reuse and mining. Its chemical experts provide pre-treatment water sampling, analysis and testing to determine a water’s chemistry, then design the most effective fracturing fluid system. The team delivers customized programs using proven chemical technologies and mobile equipment to treat almost any oilfield water for reuse. Following the company’s treatment applications, fluid samples are analyzed again to ensure the treatment is optimized to reduce overall chemical investment. Water Treatment provides disinfection solutions to neutralize microorganisms, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), iron sulfide, phenols, mercaptans, and polymers in the surface water. Its Water Treatment team works closely with the company’s Completion Chemicals service line, as well as its water monitoring, reuse and recycling teams within its Water Services and Water Infrastructure segments to advise its customers on the best economic and operational solutions to manage their water quality and chemical solutions needs.
Chemical Technologies Geographic Areas of Operation
The company provides Chemical Technologies services in most of the major unconventional shale plays in the continental U.S.
Chemical Technologies Customers
The company’s Chemical Technologies customers primarily include pressure pumpers, and major integrated and independent U.S. and international oil and gas producers.
Sales and Marketing
The company directs its sales activities through a network of sales representatives and business development personnel, which allows it to support its customers at both the field and corporate level. The company’s sales representatives work closely with local operations managers to target potential opportunities through strategic focus and regular customer interaction. It tracks the drilling and completion activities of its new customers. The company’s operations managers meet with its sales team several times a week and monitor sales activity via daily reporting. To support the company’s sales strategy, it has developed a proprietary database that integrates market information, such as current rig, completion crew and permit activity and the location of its strategic water sources and networks.
The company’s marketing activities are performed by an internal marketing group with input from key executives. It intends to build and maintain a well-recognized brand in the oil and gas industry through multiple media outlets, including its website and social media accounts, print and billboard advertisements, presenting at and participating in various industry-specific conferences, case studies, publications, and lectures.
Acquisitions
Bobcat Acquisition
On April 18, 2024, the company completed the acquisition of equity interests of certain subsidiaries of Bobcat SWIW Holdings, LLC (the Bobcat Acquisition). The Bobcat Acquisition strengthened Select’s Marcellus/Utica disposal operations and allows the company to offer more comprehensive produced water solutions to its customers in the region.
Trinity Acquisition
On April 1, 2024, the company completed the acquisition of Trinity Acquisition Holdings, LLC (d/b/a Trinity Environmental Services) and related entities (the Trinity Acquisition).
Buckhorn Acquisition
On March 1, 2024, the company completed the acquisition of equity interests of certain subsidiaries of Buckhorn Waste Services, LLC and Buckhorn Disposal, LLC (the Buckhorn Acquisition). The acquisition strengthened Select’s solids waste management capabilities in the Bakken region, adding additional landfills in North Dakota and in Montana to support Select’s existing landfill operations in the region.
Iron Mountain Energy Acquisition
On January 8, 2024, the company acquired substantially all of the assets and operations of Iron Mountain Energy, LLC (the Iron Mountain Acquisition). The acquisition strengthened Select’s fluids and solids treatment and disposal assets and operations in the Haynesville region.
Tri-State Water Logistics Acquisition
On January 3, 2024, the company acquired the assets and operations of Tri-State Water Logistics, LLC and certain of its affiliates (the Tri-State Acquisition). The acquisition strengthened Select’s fluids and solids treatment and disposal assets and operations in the Haynesville region.
Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health Matters
The company is subject to a wide array of laws and regulations governing chemicals, including the regulation of chemical substances and inventories, such as TSCA in the U.S.
The company is subject to the requirements of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act and comparable state statutes whose purpose is to protect the health and safety of workers. In addition, the OSHA’s hazard communication standard, the EPA’s Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act and comparable state regulations and any implementing regulations require that it organizes and/or disclose information about hazardous materials used or produced in its operations and that this information be provided to employees, state and local governmental authorities and citizens.
In addition, as part of the services it provides, the company operates as a motor carrier and therefore are subject to regulation by the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) and analogous state agencies. These regulatory authorities exercise broad powers, governing activities such as the authorization to engage in motor carrier operations, regulatory safety, and hazardous materials labeling, placarding and marking.
Seasonality
The company’s results of operations have historically been adversely affected by seasonal declines in the activity levels of its customers, typically in the fourth quarter (year ended December 31, 2024), related to holidays, inclement winter weather and in some years the exhaustion of its customers’ annual drilling and completions capital expenditure budgets.
Intellectual Property
The company uses its AquaView technology to quantify volumes and flow rates to verify water availability and volumes when analyzing a new water source.
History
The company was founded in 2016. It was incorporated as a Delaware corporation in 2016. The company was formerly known as Select Energy Services, Inc. and changed its name to Select Water Solutions, Inc. in 2023.
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