Water scarcity is a sad fact of life to many regions worldwide, and it looms on the horizon of yet others. While a strong industry focus lies on water management practices or supply options such as seawater desalination and conventional groundwater development (i.e. groundwater development from unconsolidated, shallow aquifers), Sea Spring Water’s focus lies on development of unconventional groundwater resources.

Incorporating leading industrial and scientific knowledge and tools, we explore and develop groundwater in locations where this is often deemed absent or unsustainable, such as offshore paleogroundwater or deep, onshore groundwater.

Offshore Paleogroundwater

Offshore paleogrondwater was formed during the low sea level stands of the last ice age. Imagine large parts of continental shelfs worldwide where aquifers were formed and recharged. And where water quality has been protected up to current times. With a strong foundation in scientific research, Sea Spring Water is the first company worldwide to explore and develop this fresh to brackish resource.

Offshore Paleogroundwater concept and production rig

Innovative use of technology from the water and petroleum industries allows development for extended periods at a cost considerably lower than through any means of seawater desalination. And at volumes which make it an interesting option for either small demands or large municipal and industrial demands.

Groundwater recharged onshore may occassionaly flow to submarine strata. A discharge to the sea ("springs") may also exist, but volumes are relatively small and would be best captured onshore. This active, offshore groundwater must not be confused with offshore paleogroundwater (above).

Onshore Unconventional Groundwater

Most groundwater worldwide is developed from unconsolidated, onshore sediments in the uppermost few hundred meters of the subsurface. Despite occurrences of groundwater in other settings, such as deep (500 - 2000 m+) groundwater or fractured and carbonate reservoirs, the water industry is largely unfamiliar with exploring this unconventional onshore groundwater. Actually, most existing unconventional groundwater developments are the result of coincidental discovery, for instance during petroleum exploration.

Sea Spring Water combines leading knowledge and tools from the scientific community and water and oil & gas industries to fundamentally understand genesis and evolution of unconventional groundwater and to systematically explore it.