Potential effects of CMB product water on soil, water, plants, and land resources Kristin Keith James Bauder Dept of Land Resources & Environmental Sciences Montana State University Photograph compliments of John Wheaton

Water is a Finite Resource other Lakes/Stream s 0.01% Clouds 0.001% Oceans 97.2% Groundwater 0.6% Glaciers/Ice 2.1%

Background Information Extraction of CBM requires withdrawal of large amounts of from coal seams containing methane. Projections call for disposal or management of one quarter million acre-feet of product water annually in the Powder River Basin. Water Quality Issue: Common signature of CBM product water is salinity x sodicity.

Objectives What is saline water? What is sodic water? Current CBM product water management methods MSU research on potential effect of CMB product water on soil, plants, water, and land resources Can we manage CBM product water?

What is saline water and why is it considered saline? Saline water has a relatively high concentration of dissolved salts. Salinity of water is referred to in terms of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), salinity is estimated by measuring the Electrical Conductivity (EC) of water The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines water with an EC greater than 3.0 dS/m as saline.

What is sodic water and why is it considered sodic? The sodicity of water is expressed as the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) which is: (These values are in meq/L) Sodic water is any water with a SAR greater than 12. Sodic water is not necessarily saline.

Current CBM Product Water Management Discharged into a stream channel Impounded Holding pond, infiltration pond, “0 discharge” pond Land applied to crop or range land

MSU CBM Product Water Research Goals Understand the chemistry, quantity, and distribution of CBM product water in the Montana portion of Powder River Basin. Assess the interaction between surface dispersed CBM product water and soil, water, plants, and land resources. Conduct research with the primary focus of defining CBM product water management strategies which will ensure sustainability of Montana’s soil, plant, and water resources.

Soil Chemistry Responses to Saline-Sodic Water Kimberly Robinson MSU Graduate Research Objective: Determine how valley soils which may be subjected to irrigation will react with repeated wetting with saline-sodic water

Irrigation Simulation Conditions Water Quality Powder River EC = 1.6 dS/m SAR = 4.5 pH = 8.0 CBM Product Water EC = 3.1 dS/m SAR = 13.0 pH = 8.0 Irrigation Treatment Powder River: 1x 5x 5x then distilled water CBM Product Water: 1x 5x 5x then distilled water

What are the common difficulties with the use of sodic water for irrigation? Use of sodic water for irrigation can be risky business on soils having significant amounts of swelling clay. On such soils: sodium changes soil physical properties, leading to poor drainage and crusting, which can affect crop growth and yield. Irrigation with sodic water on sandy soils does not cause crusting and poor drainage. However, if the water is saline-sodic, it may affect crop growth and yield.

Suggested range in EC and SAR of irrigation water for various soil textures Source: Western Fertilizer Handbook Soil TextureEC range (mmhos/cm) SAR upper limit FloodSprinklerFloodSprinkler Very Coarse sand, loamy sand Coarse sandy loam Medium loam, silt loam Medium fine clay loam, sandy clay loam Fine Silty clay loam, sandy clay, clay, silty clay

What are the common problems or difficulties with the use of saline water for irrigation? Crop production becomes a problem as salts accumulate in the root zone high enough to negatively affect plant growth. Excess soluble salts in the root zone restrict plant roots from withdrawing water from the surrounding soil.

Tolerant EC > 10 Semi-Tolerant EC = 4-10 Sensitive EC < 4 CropsBarley Sugarbeet Sunflower Wheat Oats Corn Safflower Potato Field Bean Peas Lentils Forages Tall wheatgrass Bearless wildrye Altai wildrye Slender wheatgrass Western Wheatgrass Russian wildrye Barley Sweetclover Alfalfa Tall Fescue Wheat (hay) Orchardgrass Cicer milkvetch White clover Red clover Ladino clover Alsike clover Meadow foxtail Crop Tolerance to Saline Water

Salinity & Sodicity Tolerance of Selected Plant Species of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation Nikos J. Warrance MSU Graduate Student Dr. James W. Bauder Krista E. Pearson LRES Department MSU-Bozeman

Tolerance and/or sensitivity of selected plants on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation to salinity, sodicity, and flooding Understand how native and culturally significant plants would respond to increases in salinity and sodicity. A list of native and culturally significant plant species was obtained from the Department of Environmental Protection, Northern Cheyenne Tribe. A thorough search of references dealing with salinity, and sodicity tolerances for the plants in question was then undertaken.

Examples of culturally significant plant species of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation Sensitive (EC < 2 dS/m, SAR June/Service Berry Red Osier Dogwood Red Shoot Goose Berry Chokecherry Wild Plum Quaking Aspen Leafy Aster Red Raspberry Moderately Sensitive (EC 2-4 dS/m, SAR <8) Common Spikerush Field Horsetail Horsemint Sweet Medicine Sandbar Willow Snowberry Cattail Sweet Grass Saw Beak Sedge Stinging Nettle Western Yarrow

Chemistry of CBM Product Water upon Surface Dispersal Holly Sessoms MSU Graduate Research Objective:Determine the behavior of chemistry of CBM product water in stream channels

Change in water chemistry for three water qualities over a 9 day time period; subject to evapoconcentration. Initial pH Final pH Initial EC Final EC Initial SAR Final SAR % Change EC % Change SAR WQ WQ WQ Average % Change

Other Research Aaron DeJoia Cascade Earth Sciences Change in water chemistry from outfall to irrigation SourcepHSAREC mmhos/cm Outfall Pump Irrigation Nozzle

Summary Sustainable CBM product water management requires rigorous monitoring and coordinated management Essential requirements – Soil, water, and plant baseline information Amount and quality of CBM product water Rigorous monitoring at all points Coordinated water management with multiple strategies