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Bulletin 2009-35

October 16, 2009

Release of Status Report on Enhanced Groundwater Protection Efforts Under Directive 044: Requirements for the Surveillance, Sampling, and Analysis of Water Production in Oil and Gas Wells Completed Above the Base of Groundwater Protection (BGWP)

This bulletin announces the release of the Status Report on Enhanced Groundwater Protection Efforts under Directive 044: Requirements for the Surveillance, Sampling, and Analysis of Water Production in Oil and Gas Wells Completed above the Base of Groundwater Protection (BGWP).  Based on increased surveillance by the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB), the report presents findings on the spatial distribution and volumes of non-saline  water produced in conjunction with oil and gas operations in Alberta for the reporting period November 2006 to the end of 2008.

The following is a summary of the report’s key findings:

• There was no reported non-saline water production in association with coals zones greater than the threshold volume of 5 cubic metres (m3) per month.
• All identified non-saline water production above the threshold was from sandstone reservoirs.
• Of the 2057 wells found to be completed above the BGWP, a total of 113 wells, located predominantly in the east-central and northeast areas of the province, were confirmed to be producing 5 m3 or greater per month of non-saline water from sandstone units above the BGWP.
• Among these 113 wells, 52 wells were completed in a single zone (cross-flow not possible), 58 wells had multiple perforations, but were already segregated proactively by industry, 2 wells were abandoned, and only 1 well required segregation as a result of the surveillance process, indicating a high level of compliance.
• Non-saline water represented 0.03 per cent of the total water produced in Alberta in 2008 in conjunction with oil and gas production (excluding projects such as enhanced oil recovery and thermal oil sands that recycle produced water).

The status report and Directive 044 are available on the ERCB Web site www.ercb.ca under Publications : Publications Available : Reports and from ERCB Information Services,
640 – 5 Avenue SW, main floor; telephone: 403-297-8311; fax: 403-297-7040; e-mail: infoservices@ercb.ca.
 
If you have questions about this bulletin, the status report, or Directive 044, call 403-297-8330 or send an e-mail to enviro.services@ercb.ca.

<original signed by>

Cal Hill
Acting Executive Manager
Geology, Environmental Science, and Economics Branch