Groundwater salinity in the Denver-Julesburg Basin, Wyoming

WSGS used nearly 700 spontaneous potential measurements from borehole geophysical logs obtained from qualified oil and gas wells to estimate groundwater salinity (TDS) in the Denver-Julesburg Basin of southeastern Wyoming. Salinity estimates were made over a depth range of 1,000–5,000 ft. The incidence of industrial grade waters (TDS>5,000 mg/L) increases with depth and occurs with the greatest frequency at depths greater than 4,500 ft. This study suggests that industrial grade water can be obtained economically from repurposed oil and gas wells at depths greater than 4,500 ft.