Bar-N-Draw_2001.JPG
Whats In The Photo:Covering the same area shown in 1996, this aerial photograph was taken in September 2001. Coalbed methane (CBM) drilling has been proceeding rapidly in this area in recent years. The area is now crisscrossed with CBM infrastructure: broad graded access roads, pipeline corridors, well pads, and staging areas for facilities and drilling equipment. Water that is pumped from the coal seams to release the methane is disposed of in retention ponds at the surface. Six ponds holding produced water can be seen in the left half of the image (geometric dark-grey patches)while at least two additional ponds near the right-center have been excavated and are ready to be filled. There is some concern that these ponds are acting as mosquito breeding habitat and exacerbating the spread of West Nile virus throughout the region, a disease recently implicated in sage grouse mortality.
Caption:2001: CBM development under way, Bar-N-Draw quadrangle, Powder River Basin, Wyoming
Add Comments:Please contact SkyTruth for more information and for permission to use.
Photographer Name:John Amos
Organization Name:SkyTruth
Credit For Photo:organization