tongueriver_ponds_2004_2x.tif
Whats In The Photo:Landsat-5 satellite image taken on August 5, 2004 showing the area between the Tongue River (left) and lower Prairie Dog Creek (right) in Sheridan County, Wyoming. Compare with matching 1999 and 2003 images (Landsat-5 has lower resolution than Landsat-7 so the spatial detail is not as sharp). By this time many CBM wells have been drilled in this area: the system of dirt access roads appears as a network of pale lines. Much of the water produced from the CBM wells is being held in large retention ponds (blue spots scattered throughout the image). Some of these were pre-existing small reservoirs, originally built by ranchers in stream channels to capture snowmelt for watering livestock, that have been enlarged to hold CBM water. Many are new ponds constructed off-channel specifically for the CBM operation (these are typically larger). Wyoming - Montana border is shown by brown line at top. Image is 5 miles across.
Caption:CBM Retention Ponds, Powder River Basin, Wyoming - 2004 (2x zoom)
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Photographer Name:John Amos
Organization Name:SkyTruth
Credit For Photo:organization