Wyoming Framework Water Plan - Living Rivers Home Page

6.0 PROJECTIONS
mines are dewatering wells drilled into the coal seam ahead of advancing pit operations and sump wells to
remove water from the pit. A few mines are extracting dry coal, however, and have drilled groundwater
wells away from the coal seam to meet their needs.
In the Green River Basin, coal is produced primarily to supply the two coal-fired electric
generation plants. During the year 2000, there were two active mines in the planning area with a total
annual production of almost 13.7 million tons. Coal mining water uses in the Green River Basin are very
similar to the uses in the Northeast Wyoming River basin.
In the Platte River Basin, there were two active coal mines at the start of the planning period,
however, one is in the process of closing and going into reclamation. In 2000 these two mines produced
about 2 million tons of coal.
The remaining river basin with coal-producing potential is the
Powder/Tongue River Basin. This basin presently has no active producing
mines.
Future water use by the coal industry is expected to increase slightly for
two reasons. First, the pits at some mines are expanding away from the coal
processing facilities onsite, thus requiring longer hauls and more water use for
dust suppression. Second, some mines anticipate expanding production in the
future if coal prices remain firm at current levels or increase. Nevertheless, most
mines will continue to meet their operational water needs from dewatering wells
and sumps on site. These activities are not expected to affect either surface water
resources or other groundwater users.
Uranium
Uranium has been mined in several of the river basin planning areas. The only active uranium
mines are in the Platte River Basin. It is projected in the High Scenario that Jackpot Mine above
Pathfinder Reservoir will reopen and an in situ mine will open in the Gas Hills area of the Wind/Bighorn
River Basin. The Kennecott Uranium Company is not anticipated to reopen its mine in the Great Divide
Basin of the Green River Basin planning area.
Miscellaneous Mining
Other minerals that are mined in Wyoming are bentonite, gypsum, aggregates, sand, and gravel.
Active bentonite and gypsum mining is primarily located in the Wind/Bighorn River Basin. Small
mining operations, extracting aggregate, sand, and gravel, are widely scattered across the state and use
varying but small amounts of water.
6.4.3 Oil Production and Refining
All but three of the counties in Wyoming have active crude oil production. In 2000 Wyoming
produced 60,607,000 barrels of crude oil. Production dropped to 51,651,000 barrels in 2004 (Equality
State Almanac, 2006). This is consistent with the long-term trend of declining oil production in
Wyoming. In addition to the actual extraction of the oil, the state also has oil refining capabilities. The
bulk of the refineries are located in the Platte River Basin.
Water use in this sector varies across the state but typically is relatively minor. Water is often
produced as a by-product of oil extraction. This water is reinjected, used for enhanced oil recovery, or
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