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Data Series 715

Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management

Hydrologic and Geochemical Data Collected Near Skewed Reservoir, an Impoundment for Coal-Bed Natural Gas Produced Water, Powder River Basin, Wyoming

By Richard W. Healy, Cynthia A. Rice, and Timothy T. Bartos

Thumbnail of and link to report PDF (2.78 MB)Abstract

The Powder River Structural Basin is one of the largest producers of coal-bed natural gas (CBNG) in the United States. An important environmental concern in the Basin is the fate of groundwater that is extracted during CBNG production. Most of this produced water is disposed of in unlined surface impoundments. A 6-year study of groundwater flow and subsurface water and soil chemistry was conducted at one such impoundment, Skewed Reservoir. Hydrologic and geochemical data collected as part of that study are contained herein. Data include chemistry of groundwater obtained from a network of 21 monitoring wells and three suction lysimeters and chemical and physical properties of soil cores including chemistry of water/soil extracts, particle-size analyses, mineralogy, cation-exchange capacity, soil-water content, and total carbon and nitrogen content of soils.

First posted December 18, 2012

For additional information contact:
Chief, Branch of Regional Research, Central Region
U.S. Geological Survey
Box 25046, Mail Stop 418
Denver, CO 80225
http://water.usgs.gov/nrp/

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Suggested citation:

Healy, R.W., Rice, C.A., and Bartos, T.T., 2012, Hydrologic and geochemical data collected near Skewed Reservoir, an impoundment for coal-bed natural gas produced water, Powder River Basin, Wyoming: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 715, 8 p.



Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Study Site

Methods

Hydrologic and Geochemical Data

Acknowledgments

References Cited