Over the past decade, New Mexico has been recognized as one of the leaders in the U.S. in pursuing the reuse of produced water to supplement fresh water supplies and reduce or eliminate the use of fresh water in oil and gas development. Past research studies have looked at treatment for flow augmentation of the Pecos River, rangeland rehabilitation, agricultural irrigation, algal biofuels production, and even beer making. These efforts were all focused on supporting a more sustainable fresh water management approach in New Mexico, a state with limited fresh water resources that has seen significant reductions in average annual precipitation over the past century.