Weatherford accepted the 2015 Eagle Ford Excellence Award for Environmental Stewardship from the South Texas Energy & Economic Roundtable on Nov. 17, the company said Dec. 2. The award recognized the water recycling program at Weatherford's Corpus Christi, Texas, pipe plant.

Weatherford’s drill pipe for onshore drilling is often lubricated using oil-based muds, which could contain diesel or mineral oils difficult to clean off after the operation is complete. Until 2012, third-party contractors cleaned its used drill pipes, Weatherford said.

The company later designed and installed a customized wastewater treatment and recycling system at its Corpus Christi facility. The water recycling program reduced the facility's freshwater requirements to 17,000 gallons per year, down from 2.2 million.

The recycling system eliminated the need to discharge wastewater to the city sewer, thereby reducing environmental liability and saving on water use costs, sewer fees and potential discharge permitting costs.