Fruitland coals are best developed in the north-central part of the San Juan basin. Coal distribution is controlled by shoreline and fluvial depositional settings. Hydraulic gradient, pressure regime, and hydrochemistry reflect regional permeability contrasts. The most productive (>1 MMcf/D) coalbed wells occur along a structural hinge line in association with a regional permeability barrier (no-flow boundary) at the basin center.