Brisben Water and the Blackfeet Nation Announce Exclusive Water Treatment Agreement for Hydraulic Fracturing Operations on Montana Reservation
Blackfeet Nation Supports Patented Ozonix Technology to Preserve Its Tribal Lands and Reduce Chemical Usage
STUART, Fla., March 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brisben Water (OTCBB:ESPH), a diversified water engineering, technology licensing and environmental services company, today announced that the Company, its majority-owned subsidiary, Brisben Water Energy Services LLC, and its sub-licensee, Hydrozonix LLC (collectively, the "Brisben Water Partners") have signed a Letter of Commitment with the Blackfeet Nation to provide Brisben Water's Ozonix water treatment services to oil and gas companies conducting hydraulic fracturing ("fracking" or "fracing") operations on the 3,000 square mile Blackfeet reservation in Montana. Brisben Water Partners will be the exclusive provider of water treatment services on the Blackfeet reservation.
The Brisben Water-Blackfeet commitment will make available to operators a non-chemical approach for treating and reusing 100% of their flowback and produced waters on the reservation. Use of Brisben Water's Ozonix technology will not only help preserve the Blackfeet Nation's water resources, but also eliminate the need to truck wastewater to disposal sites off reservation, thereby improving the economics of shale oil and gas exploration on the reservation. This exclusive services agreement is part of a broad effort by the Blackfeet Nation to sustainably develop their heritage lands, bring jobs to tribal members and improve the economic well-being of the tribe.
"We chose to partner with Brisben Water and Hydrozonix after spending significant time and effort evaluating all available water treatment technologies in the market," said Grinnell Day Chief, Oil and Gas Manager for the Blackfeet Tribe. "We have visited the frac sites where Brisben Water is replacing traditional chemicals with Ozonix for its customers and recycling 100% of their waters. By providing the oil and gas companies operating on our land with access to this environmentally sound and cost-effective technology, we are reinforcing our commitment to improving the quality of life for our people through economic development of our energy resources while also preserving our vital natural water resources for future generations."
"Partnering with the Blackfeet Nation to assist the tribe in their commitment to sustainably develop their lands is totally in keeping with the Brisben Water mission to provide environmental wastewater treatment solutions across industries, nations and ecosystems. The Ozonix technology has been used by Brisben Water and our licensee, Hydrozonix LLC, to treat more than one billion gallons of water on approximately 500 oil and natural gas wells since 2008," said Charles Vinick, Chairman and CEO of Brisben Water Technologies. "This is an important opportunity to work with the Tribe to provide jobs for their members and to help the tribe realize their development goals for profitable and environmentally responsible hydraulic fracturing operations."
The Blackfeet reservation is located along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, bordered by Canada and Glacier National Park, between the mountains and the prairie. It is part of a sensitive and important ecosystem in northwestern Montana and is larger than the state of Delaware. The reservation stretches over 150 miles north to south and 100 miles east to west and is home to grizzly bears, black bears, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, lynx, elk, deer, bull trout, eight major lakes and approximately 175 miles of fishing streams.
The Blackfeet reservation sits on top of the prolific Bakken shale, a formation that has experienced a recent boom of activity in the Williston Basin (located in North Dakota and Eastern Montana). Several major oil and gas companies including Newfield Exploration, Rosetta Resources and Anschutz Exploration have all secured mineral rights from the Blackfeet Tribe and are actively drilling vertical and horizontal wells on the reservation to pursue the Southern Alberta Basin, which includes the Bakken, Three Forks, Nisku and Lodgepole formations. The Devonian-Mississippian Bakken Shale on the Blackfeet reservation is a widespread, organic-rich marine source rock that has been a known producer in the Williston Basin.
Robbie Cathey, CEO of Brisben Water Energy Services, stated, "We are excited and grateful to have the opportunity to work with the Blackfeet Nation and the oil and gas companies operating on tribal land. Brisben Water's Ozonix process will allow operators to reuse their wastewaters and treat water in an environmentally friendly manner. It demonstrates everyone's commitment to utilizing our natural resources and producing energy in a responsible way."
About Brisben Water Technologies
Brisben Water (OTCBB:ESPH) is a diversified water engineering, technology licensing and environmental services company that designs, develops, and manufactures wastewater treatment technologies for a variety of industrial markets. The company provides environmental services and technology solutions for large-scale, sustainable applications across industries, nations and ecosystems.
Brisben Water is currently driving clean water innovation with its patented Ozonix advanced oxidation technologies and mobile, low-maintenance water treatment systems. Brisben Water's patented Ozonix technology is a high-volume, advanced oxidation process designed to recycle water while reducing liquid chemicals used during water treatment applications. In operation since 2008, the Ozonix technology has enabled oil and gas customers to recycle and reuse over 1 billion gallons of water on approximately 500 oil and natural gas wells in major shale plays across the country.
For more information, please visit Brisben WaterTech.com.
About Brisben Water Energy Services
Brisben Water Energy Services, LLC is the exclusive master licensee of Brisben Water's patented Ozonix technologies for domestic and global energy applications. The Ozonix process provides energy exploration and production companies with a cost-effective method to kill bacteria and biofilms without the use of chemical biocides and scale-inhibitors. For more information, please visit Brisben WaterTech.com/divisions/Brisben Water-Energy-Services.
Brisben Water's Ozonix services are available to the U.S. onshore oil and gas exploration and production market exclusively through Hydrozonix, LLC. For more information, please visit www.Hydrozonix.com
About the Blackfeet Nation
With 16,000 enrolled members, the Blackfeet Nation is the largest Indian tribe in Montana and one of the largest tribes in the United States. The rugged, picturesque 1.5 million acre (3,000 square mile) Blackfeet reservation in Montana has a population of about 10,000, including 8,500 enrolled Blackfeet and several hundred Blackfeet descendants. The other 7,500 Tribal members are scattered all over the world. The largest town and seat of government is Browning (population 3,500, including surrounding areas). Other towns include Heart Butte, Blackfoot, Starr School, Babb, Saint Mary, Kiowa, and East Glacier. For more information, please visit www.blackfeetnation.com
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CONTACT: Investor Relations:
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Brisben Water
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cmcguire@Brisben Watertech.comSource: Brisben Water