ALL Studies Beneficial Uses of Produced Water from Coal Bed Methane Wells

ALL Consulting was recently selected by the Ground Water Protection ResearchFoundation(GWPRF) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)to study the various available and potential beneficial uses that could be applied to produced water from coal bed methane (CBM) wells. The study covers a broad area, including New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana. Emphasis areas will include the San Juan Basin and the Powder River Basin due to the existing level of CBM development and the relatively high quality of water from underground coal seam aquifers that are also used or targeted for methane production. The study will address study of the technical feasibility of various alternatives, water rights issues, regulatory issues, conceptual design options, and economics. Guiding the study will be representatives from the GWPRF, BLM, USFS, various states. Multiple CBM producers have also volunteered to participate in the study and will be supplying data for analysis purposes. Also participating in the study, Ft. Lewis College faculty and students will be performing tasks related to data compilation, soil science investigation, agronomy and forestry, and some conceptual design work.