1. Understanding the relation between Energy and Water in the Williston Basin
Joanna Thamke Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center
2018 MT AWRA, West Yellowstone

2. Williston Basin—multi-Mission Area, multi-Regional, multi-Agency, and multi-Science Center studies
Biologists, geochemists, geologists, geophysicists, hydrologists working together on multiple projects.
Collaborations with Federal, Provincial, State, Tribal, and Local agencies include field work, workshops, conference calls, and peer reviews of manuscripts.
Project information available online:
Hydrologists from USGS and Fort Peck Tribes collecting data

3. Working with DOI, State and Local Partners
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Reclamation
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
North Dakota Department of Health
North Dakota State Water Commission
Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology
Montana Department of Environmental Quality
South Dakota State Geological Survey
Saskatchewan Water Security Agency
Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship
Canadian Geological Survey
County Conservation Districts
Fort Peck and Fort Berthold Indian reservations

4. Topical Areas Water Quality Ground, surface, and produced water
Water Availability
Ground and surface water
Ecological Effects
Aquatic and terrestrial habitat, toxicity studies
Vern Whitten Photography

5. Water Quality Baseline water-quality
Potable aquifers (Groundwater, 2015)
Streams
Wetlands (Jour Env Man, 2015)
Produced water quality
Define end member (AAPG Bulletin, 2016)
Understand fluid flow in the Bakken (Mtn Geol, 2017)
Brine contamination
Local-scale plume delineation (USGS SIR )
Regional-scale pilot areas (USGS SIR )
Vulnerability assessments (SciTotEnv, 2015 and 2013)
Brine spills (SciTotEnv, 2017)

6. Water Quality
Groundwater and wetland quality has large TDS, often >1,000 mg/L. Dominant ions are sodium, magnesium, bicarbonate, and sulfate.
Produced water quality has even larger TDS, often >30,000 mg/L. Dominant ions are sodium and chloride.
Brines from shallower Charles Formation have unique chemistry from Bakken Formation.

7. Water Quality
Using similar tools to identify possible sources of groundwater contamination.

8. Water Availability
Groundwater availability assessment: (USGS SIR , USGS SIR , USGS SIR , USGS PP 1841, USGS FS )
Water Balances for Energy Resource Production: (USGS OFR , Water Resources Research, 2015, USGS OFR ; USGS FS )
Estimating National Water Use Associated with Unconventional Oil and Gas Development: (USGS FS , USGS SIR )

9. Water Availability

10. Ecological Effects
Brine contamination to wetlands (Jour Fresh Ecol, 2016)
Spatial data and web-based tools (SciTotEnv, 2016)
Changes in invasive species distributions (Env Monit Assess, 2015)
Salt toxicity to wetland plant and invertebrates (Int Jour Coal Geol, 2014)
Effects to amphibians (Env. Pollution, 2017)

11. Ecological Effects
Amphibian survival rates decrease in brine-contaminated wetlands
Invertebrate species richness decreases in brine-contaminated wetlands
Biotic communities change in brine-contaminated wetlands
Biological effects vary based on species and timing, but full mortality has been documented in fish of streams that have received brine spills

12. Future Research Strategy
Development of Basin-wide research initiative
Collaboration with Bakken Federal Executive Group
Development of Status and Trends Report
Expand current and develop new topical areas
1. Understanding Scale and Nature of UOG Resources
2. Water Quality
3. Water Availability
4. Air Quality and GHG Emissions
5. Effects on Human Health and Communities
6. Ecosystem Effects
7. Induced seismicity