Water Midstream Partners LLC said July 20 it completed the southern extension to its Permian commercial saltwater pipeline system in Midland County, Texas.

The system connects new oil and gas wells inside and adjacent to Midland, Texas, to the company's saltwater disposal well.

The extension brings the total miles of the pipeline system to 9.5 miles, adding more than 45 miles of operator-owned pipelines that connect to Water Midstream's Midland County saltwater disposal well. The company is doing something new in West Texas, said B.G. Clark, president of Water Midstream.

Clark said water from commercial saltwater disposal wells is often transported by truck by individual operators from a dedicated pipeline—representing the largest single operating expense of an oil and gas well.

"What we are doing is building commercial saltwater pipelines that connect multiple operators, making it possible to connect fields where a dedicated pipeline would be uneconomical," Clark said in a statement.

Water Midstream's new Midland County extension will create direct pipeline connections for saltwater disposal for more than 100 existing and planned wells. This will reduce operator costs for saltwater transportation and disposal, and eliminate as many as 300 daily trips by water hauling trucks on county and state roads, according to the release.

Providing these solutions for commercial saltwater pipelines near populated areas is important, Clark said.

"In many cases, we are handling the transportation and disposal needs from the initial flowback of a well, eliminating the need for trucks on county and state roads, and saving the public and operators money and traffic headaches," he added.