Brine ponds have uses that vary by industry. While there are some very specific, rare uses for brine ponds, in general, their uses tend to fall within one of a few limited categories. The first is the natural gas industry. Here, brine ponds serve as storage facilities for large amounts of brine that are produced during the mining process. Fracking and oil processing is another area in which brine ponds are useful. Fracking requires large amounts of brine. Brine ponds are used to store brine that flows back up out of wells during the fracking process.
Brine ponds are also used to produce salt from seawater. This is a process in which seawater is placed in a brine pond, then evaporated until only salt crystals remain behind for harvest. Desalination makes use of brine ponds, too. Desalination plants use brine ponds to store the highly concentrated brine that is left behind after the desalination process so that it can be released back into the ocean later.
