Statistics indicate that seven barrels of water are produced for every barrel of oil in the United States.   The Permian Basin combined with its secondary and tertiary recovery, and geologic heterogeneity, can result in poor sweep efficiency and high water/oil ratio producing wells. The purpose of this presentation is to assist the engineer in evaluating the potential application of different polymer systems for either injection well conformance or water reduction in producing wells. Despite the many products in the market, the key to successful treatments is based on proper diagnosis of the problem and use of the appropriate technology.