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Bulletin 2009-08

February 25, 2009

Invitation for Feedback on Draft Revised Edition of Directive 027: Shallow Fracturing Operations—Restricted Operations

The Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) invites stakeholder feedback on the draft revised edition of Directive 027: Shallow Fracturing Operations—Interim Controls, Restricted Operations and Technical Review issued on January 31, 2006. The draft directive is available on the ERCB Web site www.ercb.ca under Industry Zone: Rules, Regulations, and Requirements: Directives.

As part of the ERCB’s ongoing regulatory review process and fulfilling a commitment made in the original directive, a Multistakeholder Shallow Fracturing Steering Committee was assembled to assess the interim controls implemented and to determine their appropriateness. The committee included representatives from the Pembina Institute, Farmer’s Advocate, Alberta Environment, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties, Canadian Society of Unconventional Gas, Small Explorers and Produces Association of Canada, Petroleum Services Association of Canada, Alberta Surface Rights Federation, and the ERCB. A fracture modelling expert was chosen by the committee to study shallow fracturing data and develop science-based fracture propagation dimensions. The following recommendations from the resulting report were presented to and subsequently supported by the committee on November 13, 2008:

1) The current horizontal offset of 200 metres (m) outlined in the original Directive 027 was deemed protective of water wells.
2) The vertical offset restriction of 25 m below the depth of a water well should be increased to
50 m to provide an additional safety margin.
3) Fracture operations should not occur within 50 m of bedrock surface.
4) The nitrogen pumping volume should be restricted to 15 000 cubic metres per metre of coal unless prior ERCB approval is obtained. (Current nitrogen pumping volumes average 4200 cubic metres per metre of coal.)
5) The ERCB should encourage industry to gather additional specific fracture data so that a more accurate analysis can be made in the future.

The first four recommendations are incorporated into the proposed revised edition of Directive 027: Shallow Fracturing Operations—Restricted Operations. The ERCB is currently working directly with industry to fulfill the final recommendation.

The full report Shallow Nitrogen Fracturing Dimensions and Groundwater Protection, October 8, 2008, by Taurus Reservoir Solutions Ltd., is available on the ERCB Web page along with the draft directive, as well as in print from ERCB Information Services (640 – 5 Avenue SW, main floor; telephone: 403-297-8311; fax: 403-297-7040; e-mail: infoservices@ercb.ca) and in the ERCB Library.

The ERCB is seeking stakeholder feedback on the draft revised directive by April 15, 2009. Any feedback or questions may be directed to the ERCB Well Operations Section
(telephone: 403-297-5290; fax: 403-297-2691; e-mail: ercb.welloperations@ercb.ca ).

<original signed by>

D. K. Boyler, P.Eng.
Executive Manager
Compliance, Environment, and Operations Branch