Badger Creek Subsurface Drip Irrigation Project

Service provided: Dispersal of natural gas produced water

Customers:  

Location: Sheridan County, Wyoming

Daily capacity: 35,000 barrels (5.6 ML) per day

Project start date: October 2007

Area developed: 473 Acres (190 ha), 961 miles (1547 km) drip tubing, 19 miles (31 km) pipeline, pond capacity 30 acre-feet (38 ML)

Water quality: EC = 2110 µS/cm, SAR = 64, Na = 730 mg/L, HCO₃ = 1800 mg/L, TDS = 1720 mg/L

Crops produced: alfalfa (lucerne), bird’s foot trefoil, sanfoin, grass mixes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) project was constructed in 2007. The fields spread across four miles of rolling terrain, various easements and three landowners. Our facility handled water from two gas producers. Pumping capacity with booster stations exceeded 2,000 gallons per minute (6000 liters per minute). There were 19 groundwater monitoring wells and several additional creek side monitoring locations.

BeneTerra managed and distributed water between three properties and balanced the crop production needs of three landowners. Some of the fields were situated on a ranch where there are more than 2,000 captive elk. Specialized hay mixes were grown on those fields for wildlife grazing with the goal of producing trophy game animals. The other fields were used for hay production and cattle grazing. Border areas were planted with species that attract game birds.