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CBNG Water Is Available For A Variety Of Uses
Powder River Basin –December 12, 2006

The Water Management Toolbox supplies produced water for a range of industrial uses. In the arid west, water users are demanding enormous amounts of water for municipal, agricultural, wildlife habitat and recreational uses. The potential sources include conventional and unconventional (cbng) water, to slake the Rockies’ thirst.

The produced water is available, ready, and waiting uses such as dust control and innovative municipal, and agricultural projects.

Karen Brown is the coordinator of the Coalbed Natural Gas Alliance, an ad hoc organization that informs, communicates and educates accurate information about cbng development. She said The Water Management Toolbox is a solution because it centers on flexibility. An operator uses their expertise while a landowner provides input.
"By implementing The Water Management Toolbox, the multidimensional interests of farmers, ranchers, producers and communities can be fully addressed," she said.

The solutions toolbox is custom designed for site-specific areas where water is produced from cbng and conventional wells.

Historically, coal mines have been using cbng water for years. CBNG water is water trapped in coal seams and while conventional coal is mined, the water becomes available.

BJ Kristiansen is the coordinator of the Coalbed Methane Coalition. The goal of the CBMCC is effective information transfer for rationale development of coalbed methane. The primary focus is on local issues as they relate to county residents and officials. The CBMCC is composed of four county commissioners, two conservation districts, the State of Wyoming, and a cbng operator representative. Kristiansen is currently involved in numerous studies to analyze and mitigate dust from increasing energy development. Also a geologist, Kristiansen first saw the importance of produced water in the daily operation of coal mines. Every drop of water used in coal mines is cbng water," he said. Kristiansen explained coal mines need damp roads to run the operation. "I can’t even begin to comprehend how much water this is," he said. "On a good hot July day, two to three 20,000 gallon trucks drive at slow speeds around a coal mine, working to keep the roads in shape." It’s more water than people think. He said each truck sprays 500-750 gallons per minute. Because the dustiest part of the road is the top quarter inch, Kristiansen said, the trick is to avoid saturating the roads, while still getting enough water on the surface. Kristiansen said cbng water works better as a dust suppressor than run-off water because it helps tighten and set the clays in the soil. In addition to coal mine roads, the same techniques to manage the dust are used on other roads. According to Kristiansen, cbng companies have their own trucks and make multiple trips everyday to help mitigate the dust on many other roads. "I have seen trucks in Sheridan, Campbell, Johnson, Carbon and Sweetwater counties." He said Carbon County has resurfaced a county road going into the Atlantic Rim Project. Kristiansen was amazed by the outcome. "It resulted in 100 percent dust containment- the project was an absolute success."

Other uses keep the demand for produced water high because Wyoming, like the rest of the Rockies, is in the middle of a drought. It is no secret produced water is essential for both agricultural operations and irrigation projects, statewide. Furthermore, the city of Gillette uses cbng water for drinking water purposes. But, other uses exist that many are not aware of- such as brewing beer, something senior brew master at Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company, George Moncure, did in 2005. "We made a summer ale called Big George Ale," said Moncure. He said the beer was great and received a lot of compliments.

And if you can brew beer- what about growing veggie’s? In 2004 the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center found that produced water of sufficient quality could also be beneficial in areas of geothermal heating and aquaponics applications, with little or no treatment required. Aquaponics combines aquaculture - the propagation, cultivation, and marketing of aquatic animals, plants, and related supplies - with hydroponics, the cultivation of plants without the use of organic soil. RMOTC successfully grew both hyrdroponic tomato farms and tilapia farms with produced water.

Neal Fehriner, a certified professional agronomist and an expert in his field for almost thirty years, can verify the uses with science. "It is good water, with a lot of potential." Fehriner is also a consulting agronomist for the Agronomic Monitoring and Protection Program. The AMPP program was developed in 2003 to measure crop yields and monitor key properties of irrigated soils in the Tongue River Drainage of the Powder River Basin. So far, crop yields with produced water have been comparable to those with river water. "In most cases, agriculturalists could use more of the produced water for crops such as sugar beets, alfalfa, and hay."

Others also believe more uses are possible. Robert Hendry was just elected Natrona County Commissioner. A long-time Wyoming resident, he also comes from a construction and farming background. Like many other ranchers in Wyoming, Hendry uses produced water in livestock tanks. "Produced water is an opportunity. We should utilize these range of options to the maximum potential." He said the benefits are endless.

From the essential maintenance of coal mines through dust abatement to enjoying a refreshing Yellowstone Ale, the wide variety of uses add more "tools" in The Water Management Toolbox. Creative entrepreneurs, thirsty cows, communities looking for economic diversity and those just wanting to supplement their current water supply have the ability to tap into this produced water supply. The industrial use tool adds more flexibility and more choices in The Water Management Toolbox. In the arid West, produced water is something to take advantage of.