Shale-gas production that applies hydraulic fracturing in mostly horizontal wells has resulted in considerable controversy over water-resource impacts. The objective of a recent study was to quantify water demand for shale-gas production in Texas. The state is the major producer of shale gas in the U.S. with three major plays — the Barnett Shale with 14,900 wells as of mid-2011, the Haynesville Shale with 390 wells in Texas, and the Eagle Ford Shale with 1,040 wells. Past water use was estimated from wellcompletion data; future water use was extrapolated from past water use constrained by shale-gas resources. Cumulative water use in the Barnett totaled 117,000 acre-feet (AF) from 2000 to mid-2011. Water use in the Barnett in 2010 represented ~9% of water use in Dallas. Water use in more recent 2008 – mid-2011 plays, although less at first — 5,300 AF in the Texas section of the Haynesville, and 14,600 AF in the Eagle Ford — is increasing rapidly. Although water use for shale gas is