Why are people concerned with CBM product water?
There are several concerns about CBM development and how to manage the water co-produced with methane. The quantity of the CBM product water: Extraction of CBM involves pumping large volumes of water from the saturated coal seam in order to release the water pressure holding the gas in the coal seam. What to do with this volume of often marginal-quality CBM product water is a source of much debate. Each well produces 5 to 20 gallons of water per minute. At 12 gallons per minute, one well produces a total of 17,280 gallons of water per day. It is common to have to have one well every 80 acres, and in the Powder River Basin, there are up to three methane-bearing coal seams. Therefore, there may be up to three wells per 80 acres. The quality of CBM product water and its effects on soil: CBM product water has a moderately high salinity hazard and often a very high sodium hazard based on standards used for irrigation suitability. Irrigation with water of CBM product water quality on range o
