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U.S. Geological Survey

Water Quality and Environmental Isotopic Analyses of Ground-Water Samples Collected from the Wasatch and Fort Union Formations in Areas of Coalbed Methane Development—Implications to Recharge and Ground-Water Flow, Eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming

Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4045
Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2002

Prepared in cooperation with the
WYOMING STATE ENGINEER'S OFFICE and the BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

By Timothy T. Bartos and Kathy Muller Ogle

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CONTENTS:


Figures

1. Map showing location of the study area in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming
2. Diagram showing systems for numbering springs and wells
3. Generalized stratigraphic column of the Wasatch and Fort Union Formations in the central Powder River Basin, Wyoming
4. Map showing generalized geology, clinker in the study area, lines of geologic cross sections, and ground-water sampling locations in the eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999
5. Diagram showing correlation of coal beds in the Powder River coal field, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming
6. (left page, right page) Geologic cross sections, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming
7. Chart showing relation of Cenozoic stratigraphic units to hydrogeologic units, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming
8. Map showing generalized geology, potentiometric contours for Wyodak-Anderson coalbed aquifer, and ground-water sampling locations in the study area, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999
9. Map showing coal-lease areas, coalbed methane permitted or production wells, and ground-water sampling sites in the study area, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999

10-12. Graphs showing:

10. Physical characteristics of ground water, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999
11. General mineral characteristics of ground water, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999
12. (left page, right page) Concentrations of major ions in ground water, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999

13. Trilinear diagram showing water types for ground-water samples collected from springs, Wasatch aquifer, and coalbed aquifers, eastern Powder River Basin, 1999
14. Stiff diagrams for ground-water samples collected from coalbed methane production wells, monitoring wells, and springs, and generalized geology in the study area, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999

15-19. Graphs showing:

15. Calcium and sulfate concentrations in relation to well depth, Wasatch aquifer, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999
16. Potassium concentrations in relation to well depth, coalbed aquifers, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999
17. (left page, right page) Calcium, magnesium, sodium, bicarbonate, and sulfate concentrations in relation to the clustered wells W5, W4, W3, and C12 in the eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999
18. (left page, right page) Calcium, magnesium, sodium, bicarbonate, and sulfate concentrations in relation to the clustered wells W8 and C17 in the eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999
19. (left page, right page) Calcium, magnesium, sodium, bicarbonate, and sulfate concentrations in relation to the clustered wells W7 and C16 in the eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999

20. Diagram of conceptual model of major-ion composition in relation to hydrogeologic units, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming

21-23. Graphs showing:

21. Relation between d18O (oxygen-18/oxygen-16 isotopic ratio) and d2H (deuterium/hydrogen isotopic ratio) for ground-water samples collected from springs discharging from clinker, the Wasatch aquifer, and coalbed aquifers, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999
22. (left page, right page) d2H (deuterium/hydrogen isotopic ratio), d18O (oxygen-18/oxygen-16 isotopic ratio), and major-ion chemistry in relation to the clustered wells W5, W4, W3, and C12 in the eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999
23. (left page, right page) d2H (deuterium/hydrogen isotopic ratio), d18O (oxygen-18/oxygen-16 isotopic ratio), and major-ion chemistry in relation to the clustered wells W7 and C16 and clustered wells W8 and C17 in the eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999

24-25. Maps showing:

24. d2H (deuterium/hydrogen isotopic ratio) values for coalbed aquifers in the study area, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999
25. d2H (deuterium/hydrogen isotopic ratio) values for springs discharging from clinker and for wells completed in the Wasatch aquifer in the study area, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming 1999

26. Diagram showing suitability of water for use in irrigation based on analyses of water from springs, Wasatch aquifer, and coalbed aquifers, eastern Powder River Basin, Wyoming, 1999

Tables

1. Identification numbers, well-completion information, water levels, geologic units, and assigned hydrogeologic units for wells sampled in the study area
2. Differences in water-level elevations and hydraulic potential for vertical ground-water flow in monitoring-well clusters
3. Source or cause, and significance of dissolved-mineral constituents and physical properties of water
4. Calculated relative-percent differences between normal environmental and replicate ground-water samples
5. Summary of water-quality data for ground-water samples collected from wells completed in the Wasatch aquifer
6. Summary of water-quality data for ground-water samples collected from wells completed in coalbed aquifers
7. Results of rank-sum tests between Wasatch aquifer and coalbed aquifers
8. Kendall's tau correlation coefficients and resulting probabilities (p-values) between dissolved solids or major ions and well depth, Wasatch aquifer
9. Kendall's tau correlation coefficients and resulting probabilities (p-values) between dissolved solids or major ions and well depth, coalbed aquifers
10. Tritium concentrations in ground-water samples collected from springs and wells
11. d2H (deuterium/hydrogen isotopic ratio) and d18O (oxgen-18/oxygen-16 isotopic ratio) values for ground-water samples collected from springs discharging from clinker and wells completed in the Wasatch aquifer and coalbed aquifers
12. Comparison of ground-water-quality samples collected from wells with selected U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum and secondary maximum contaminant levels for public drinking-water supplies
13. Comparison of ground-water-quality samples collected from wells with selected State of Wyoming standards for domestic use
14. Hardness classification of ground-water-quality samples collected from wells
15. Comparison of ground-water-quality samples collected from wells with selected State of Wyoming standards for agricultural (irrigation) and livestock use

CONVERSION FACTORS, VERTICAL DATUM, AND ABBREVIATIONS

Multiply By To obtain
Length
inch (in) 25.40 millimeter (mm)
inch (in) 72.540 centimeter (cm)
foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)
mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)
Area
square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer (km2)
Volume
liter (L) 33.82 ounce (oz)
milliliter (mL) 0.0338 ounce (oz)
microliter (mL) 0.0000338 ounce (oz)
Hydraulic Conductivity
foot per day (ft/d) 0.3048 meter per day (m/d)
Transmissivity
foot squared per day (ft2/d) 0.0929 meter squared per day (m2/d)
Concentration
milligram per liter (mg/L) 1.0 part per million (ppm)
microgram per liter (µg/L) 1.0 part per billion (ppb)

Temperature can be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) or degrees Celsius (°C) as follows:

°F = 9/5 (°C) + 32
°C = 5/9 (°F - 32)

Sea level: In this report "sea level" refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929--a geodetic datum derived from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of the United States and Canada, formerly called Sea Level Datum of 1929.

Abbreviated water-quality units used in this report:

per mil or parts per thousand

d2H

deuterium/hydrogen isotopic ratio

d18O

oxygen-18/oxygen-16 isotopic ratio

meq/L

milliequivalents per liter

mg/L

milligram per liter

µg/L

microgram per liter

µm

micrometer

µS/cm

microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius

pCi/L

picocuries per liter

TU

tritium units

Abbreviations used in this report:

°C

degrees Celsius

°F

degrees Fahrenheit

2H

deuterium

3H

tritium

16O

oxygen-16

18O

oxygen-18

ANC

acid-neutralizing capacity

BLM

Bureau of Land Management

C

carbon

Ca

calcium

CaCO3

calcium carbonate

CH4

methane

Cl

chloride

cm

centimeter

CO2

carbon dioxide

F

fluoride

ft

foot

GMWL

Global meteoric water line

H

hydrogen

H2S

hydrogen sulfide

H2O

water

HCO3

bicarbonate

K

potassium

m

meter

MCL

maximum contaminant level

Mg

magnesium

Na

sodium

NWQL

National Water Quality Laboratory of U.S. Geological Survey

RPD

relative-percent difference

SAR

sodium-adsorption ratio

Si

silica

SMCL

secondary maximum contaminant level

SO4

sulfate

TDS

total dissolved solids

USEPA

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

USGS

U.S. Geological Survey

VSMOW

Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water

WSEO

Wyoming State Engineer's Office