Wyoming Geological Survey calls for water controls

February 2008

U.S. Water News Online

CASPER, Wyo. -- The State Geological Survey is recommending a moratorium on coal-bed methane development in the Crazy Woman and Clear Creek drainages in northeast Wyoming.

The agency noted that analysis of projected development forecasts in the drainages shows a wide disparity in the amount of natural gas that would be produced compared to the amount of groundwater that must be pumped to the surface in order to recover the gas.

"In the contentious environment permeating (coal-bed methane) development in the Powder River Basin, managing produced water is essential to healing the rift between industry and residents, and moving forward sustainably," the Geological Survey stated in an executive summary of its analysis.

The proposed moratorium would save more than 130 billion gallons of water in the two drainages, the Geological Survey said.

"We see water as an incredibly valuable resource, and we have to stop wasting it anywhere, but especially in these drainages," said Bob LeResche, chairman of the Powder River Basin Resource Council and a landowner in the Clear Creek drainage.

But John Robitaille, vice president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, said the state engineer already has the authority to shut in wells that produce little or no gas.

"We think it's early in the game to call for a moratorium," Robitaille said.

More than 4 billion barrels of groundwater have been pumped through coal-bed methane wells and dumped on the surface in the Powder River Basin, according to the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Pumping water from the coal aquifer reduces the pressure that keeps the gas in place, and allows the gas to flow to production wells.

But over the past several years, engineers and geologists came to realize the industry sometimes drills more wells and pumps more water than it has to. It's estimated that more than 39,000 acre feet of water has been produced from wells that have not produced any gas.

In December, state Engineer Pat Tyrrell asked producers to justify water production from some 296 wells in the Clear Creek and Crazy Woman Creek drainages of the Powder River Basin. Those wells produced water for at least five years, according to the state engineer.

Industry leaders said they support the state engineer's recent decision that the wells should meet a water-to-gas ratio threshold of 10 barrels per thousand cubic feet of gas within the first two to three years of water production.