Coal aquifer contribution to streams in the Powder River Basin, Montana

Coal aquifer contribution to streams in the Powder River Basin, Montana

•Coalbed methane and coalmine production can reduce groundwater baseflow to streams.•Baseflow from coal aquifers is quantified using geochemical and isotope signatures.•Quantification was successful in two southeastern Montana streams. Groundwater contributions to streams can be reduced by groundwat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of hydrology (Amsterdam) Vol. 537; pp. 130 - 137
Main Author: Meredith, Elizabeth Brinck
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier B.V 01-06-2016
Subjects:
Aquifers
Brackish
Carbon
Carbon isotopes
Coal
Coal aquifer baseflow
Coal mines
Coalbed methane
Geochemistry
Groundwater
Lutrinae
Powder River Basin, Montana
Streams
Strontium isotopes
Water runoff
USA, Powder River basin
USA, Montana
USA, Montana, Powder R
Coal mines
Powder River Basin, Montana
Coal aquifer baseflow
Carbon isotopes
Strontium isotopes
Coalbed methane
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Summary:•Coalbed methane and coalmine production can reduce groundwater baseflow to streams.•Baseflow from coal aquifers is quantified using geochemical and isotope signatures.•Quantification was successful in two southeastern Montana streams. Groundwater contributions to streams can be reduced by groundwater withdrawal associated with coalbed methane and coal mine production. Quantifying the groundwater contribution to streams aids the assessment of potential impacts to in-stream flow and provides information necessary for energy producers to use coproduced water for beneficial purposes, rather than treating it as a waste product. Stream flow, field parameters, common ions, and isotopes of carbon and strontium were measured on Otter Creek and the Powder River in southeastern Montana. Direct streamflow measurements were ineffective because of the magnitude and nature of coalbed contribution. The coal groundwater contribution did not exceed the geochemical detection threshold on two nearby streams. Geochemical models based on isotopic data proved to be the most effective analytical method, resulting in baseflow measurements from coal aquifers of 28–275ls−1.
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content type line 23
ISSN:0022-1694
1879-2707
DOI:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.03.042