Cooperative Water Program
Energy
New Products
New Water Quality Data Repository in Colorado - As large-scale energy development continues in the Piceance Basin in northwestern Colorado, there is potential for changes in surface-and groundwater resources. USGS, in cooperation with over 25 entities created a public, web-accessible common data repository combining water-quality data from various sources to establish a baseline assessment of the region’s water resources. Collaborative partners supporting the project include the energy industry, local citizens, cities and counties, state agencies, the Bureau of Land Management, private consultants, the West Divide Water Conservancy District, and the Colorado River Water Conservation District. The data will be used to develop regional monitoring strategies needed to fill identified data gaps, and minimize redundancies in current and future water-resource monitoring.
Groundwater sampled in Lee and Chatham counties, North Carolina before shale gas exploration - USGS, in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment, will begin sampling and testing water from public and private wells in Lee and Chatham counties, North Carolina for baseline information because of potential for shale gas exploration in these areas (Press release; Study Area Map; More detail). The baseline data collected from both private and public water supply wells will be used by state and local agencies to identify background concentrations of major ions, metals, volatile organic compounds, methane gas, and stable isotopes in the aquifer prior to increased shale gas exploration in North Carolina. If shale gas exploration occurs, this data will be used to compare to post-drilling water-quality samples.
Effects of coalbed natural gas development on ecological conditions in selected streams in Wyoming and Montana – A USGS study, done in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, and Wyoming Game and Fish Department, evaluated the effects of water produced from coalbed natural gas development on biological communities—aquatic insects, algal, and fish—in selected streams in the Powder River basin in Wyoming and Montana.
