The sheer volume of water that coalbed methane wells
pour into streams could wipe out up to 30 aquatic species in the
Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana. James Gore, an
environmental scientist, presented these dire projections in
November at the International Petroleum Environmental Conference in
Houston, Texas. Each of the basin’s 15,000 wells pumps up to
17,000 gallons of groundwater to the surface every day; over half
of the wastewater reaches streams.
Using a
habitat-simulation computer program, Gore predicted that increased
flows of 20 percent to 80 percent could lead to long spells (up to
a month) of lost habitat for several river insects and the
endangered western silvery minnow.,p> If the methane boom lasts
20 years, Gore says, these survival “bottlenecks” could have a
“cascade effect,” eliminating 20 to 30 species from the
basin’s streams. There’s a shortage of field research
so far, but Gore says his models show that the boom’s impact
“is not only immediate, but has a chronic effect.”
You can
find the abstract of James Gore’s 2003 paper, and his similar
paper from the 2002 IPEC conference, at
http://ipec.utulsa.edu.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Gas wells wash out habitat.
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