U.S. Water News Online
GILLETTE, Wyo. -- Water discharged during coal-bed methane production would become drinking water for the city of Gillette under a proposal backed by the mayor.
The Wyoming Water Development Commission has recommended studying the possibility of retrieving disinfected methane water from the Fort Union sands aquifers, which supply the city.
The project would involve pouring methane water into the aquifers and studying whether the water can be stored properly.
The project could involve 5 to 25 wells producing 52,000 to 260,000 gallons of water per day, said Larry Wester, a hydrologist with Wester-Wetstein, a consulting firm.
The project could recharge the aquifers in anticipation of future growth around Gillette, supporters said.
The plan includes one reinjection well and two monitoring wells, at a total cost of $510,000.
Mayor Frank Latta said the plan has drawn interest, partly because coal-bed methane production takes water out of the aquifers.
Anything that can recharge those water sources would be a good thing, he said.
Before becoming drinking water, the reinjected water would be mixed with water from several other aquifers, he said. Mixing the water allows the city to temper the hardness of water coming from one of the aquifers, the Madison limestone formation.
Having more water in the Fort Union sands would give the city greater flexibility in blending Madison water, especially in the summer months when Gillette draws heavily from all three aquifers, Wester said.
Chris Abernathy, a project manager with the Water Development Commission, said the project probably would run until late 2003, when a final report would be due.
In January, the Select Water Committee is expected to consider whether to approve the plan. The Legislature would then decide on project funding.
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