RENEWABLES in the U . S ., the state is also the third biggest producer of oil in the country , extracting roughly 200 million barrels per year . The rock formations that bear oil in the region also tend to harbor large volumes of brackish saltwater . The ratio of water to oil produced by operators in the region is , on average , ten to one .
As Chevron recently explained , the Kern River oilfield neatly illustrates the situation .
Kern River is the secondhighest producing oilfield in California ; moreover , for every barrel of oil , the field also produces around nine barrels of water .
Almost 25 percent of this water is treated to remove solids as well as free , dispersed and dissolved
15