Buffalo Field Office
| Contacts: | Lesley A. Elser | |||
| 307-261-7603 |
WSGS Releases CBNG Groundwater Monitoring Report Update
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Buffalo Field Office (BFO) in cooperation with Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS), announce the release of the Updated Open-File Report12-5: 2009 Coalbed Natural Gas (CBNG) Regional Groundwater Monitoring Report Update: Powder River Basin (PRB), Wyo.
This updated report presents data from BLM’s deep monitoring well network in the Wyoming PRB along with initial interpretations. This data was collected from the monitoring system from 2006 through 2009. This updated version includes improved graphics, more complete individual monitoring well reports as well as comparisons to CBNG well production within a 1.5 mile radius of influence.
The BLM BFO deep monitoring well network measures the drawdown in the producing zones and provides data with which to evaluate potential leakage between the CBNG water-producing coal deposits and adjacent sandstone aquifers. Groundwater models and drawdown predictions are used to forecast potential hydrogeological impacts of CBNG production in Wyoming. BLM deep monitoring well data can be used to evaluate impact analysis and provide calibration data for future analysis of CBNG drawdown impacts as well as verify the assumptions made in the PRB Final Environmental Impact Statement, 2003.
The report found that The Big George Coal showed continued decline in groundwater levels as gas production increased, and the Upper Wyodak showed areas of groundwater recovery where gas production has ceased or is declining.
The report is available at. http://www.wsgs.uwyo.edu/public-info/onlinepubs/prb-drawdown.aspx.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Buffalo Field Office 1425 Fort Street Buffalo, WY 82834