Geoscience in Your State: Wyoming

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Cover of Geoscience Policy State Factsheet. Image credit: AGI

By the numbers: Wyoming

  • 2,197 geoscience employees (excludes self-employed)1
  • 748 million gallons/day: total groundwater withdrawal3
  • $2.41 billion: value of nonfuel mineral production in 20174
  • 30 total disaster declarations, including 18 fire, 5 flood, and 2 severe storm disasters (1953-2017)⁶
  • $4.65 million: NSF GEO grants awarded in 201714...

Read more in this Geoscience in Your State Factsheet...

Agencies Working on Geoscience Issues in wyoming

Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
http://deq.wyoming.gov/

The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality is responsible for enforcing state and federal environmental laws. It is comprised of seven divisions inluding: administration, abandoned mine land, air quality, industrial siting, land quality, solid & hazardous waste, water quality.

Wyoming State Emergency Response Commission
https://hls.wyo.gov/

Among the SERC's duties are the following: designate local emergency planning districts within the state and appoint a local emergency planning committee (LEPC) to serve each of the districts; coordinate and supervise activities of the local committees; review local emergency response plans annually; receive all chemical release notifications and inventory reports.

Wyoming State Geological Survey
https://www.wsgs.wyo.gov/

The Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS) performs the important and critical function of interpreting Wyoming’s complex geology.

Maps & Visualizations

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Case Studies & Factsheets

Screenshot of the USEITI case studies showing the Campbell County case study highlighted
Coal Mining in Campbell County, Wyoming

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Natural Resources Revenue, Information and Data Management has produced a series of case studies on extractive industries across the United States, focusing on coal, copper, gold, iron, natural gas, and oil.

Cover of Induced Seismicity from Oil and Gas Operations
Induced Seismicity from Oil and Gas Operations

Manmade Earthquakes Any activity that significantly changes the pressure on or fluid content of rocks has the potential to trigger earthquakes. This includes geothermal energy production, water storage in large reservoirs, groundwater extraction, underground injection of water for enhanced oil...

Cover of Groundwater Protection in Oil and Gas Production
Groundwater Protection in Oil and Gas Production

Introduction The United States relies on groundwater for roughly 25% of its fresh water.1 This groundwater is found in porous, permeable rocks (aquifers) that often lie close to the Earth’s surface – the deepest freshwater aquifers are found more than 6,000 feet underground,2 but most are much...

Cover of Geoscience Policy State Factsheet. Image credit: AGI
Geoscience in Wyoming

By the numbers: Wyoming 2,197 geoscience employees (excludes self-employed)1 748 million gallons/day: total groundwater withdrawal3 $2.41 billion: value of nonfuel mineral production in 20174 30 total disaster declarations, including 18 fire, 5 flood, and 2 severe storm disasters (1953-2017)⁶ $...

Cover of AGI Factsheet 2018-002-Geologic Mapping and Public Health
Geologic Mapping and Public Health

Using Geologic Maps to Protect Public Health Geologic maps can be used to understand and mitigate public health risks across the US, in addition to their more traditional use in resource and infrastructure decisions. Geologic maps can show the location of naturally occurring hazardous materials and...

Cover of The Pinedale Gas Field, Wyoming
The Pinedale Gas Field, Wyoming

Introduction The Pinedale field is the sixth-largest gas field in the United States.1 The core development area covers about 70 square miles in a sparsely populated area of southwest Wyoming, 70-100 miles north of Rock Springs.2 In 2015, the Pinedale field produced 4 million barrels of gas...

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Groundwater use in the United States

Fresh water from underground Groundwater is any water found underground in the cracks and pores in soil, sand, or rock. Groundwater provides 25% of the fresh water used in the United States.1 It is particularly important for irrigation and domestic uses in arid or remote areas, where surface water...

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Dry well usage across the United States

Introduction Dry wells improve stormwater drainage and aquifer recharge by providing a fast, direct route for rainwater to drain deep into underlying sediment and rock. Dry wells are most common in the western U.S. where clay or caliche layers slow down the natural drainage of water into underlying...

Cover of Abandoned Wells
Abandoned Wells

Introduction In 2017, there were one million active oil and gas wells in the United States.1 When a well reaches the end of its productive life, or if it fails to find economic quantities of oil or gas, the well operator is required by regulators to remove all equipment and plug the well to prevent...

Cover of AGI Factsheet 2018-004 - Present Day Climate Change
Present Day Climate Change

Climate Science 101 Climate is the average of weather conditions over several decades.1,2 Geoscientists monitor modern climate conditions (1880 A.D. to present) in part by taking direct measurements of weather data (i.e., air temperature, rainfall and snowfall, wind speed, cloudiness, and so on)...

Cover of Using Produced Water
Using Produced Water

Opportunities and Concerns in Using Produced Water Produced water is natural groundwater that is extracted along with oil and gas. It is commonly salty and mixed with oil residues,1 so it must be either disposed of or treated and reused. About 2.5 billion gallons of produced water are extracted...

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