Dirty truth behind US oil pipeline growth

Houston

THE torrent of dirty water coming out of almost every American oil well is the next big bet for a former fund manager for billionaire Paul Allen.

Getting rid of waste water from onshore wells has become an increasingly costly problem for oil producers as US crude output surged in recent years, especially in the new shale fields from Texas to North Dakota.

Drillers typically get about seven barrels of water for every one of oil, and some struggle to deal with the overflow that is mostly sent by truck to disposal sites miles away.

David Capobianco, a former managing director for Mr Allen's Vulcan Capital, is tr…