Government taking steps to address water concerns, water issues dogs CBM producers

Government taking steps to address water concerns, water issues dogs CBM producers by Paul Stastny, March 2007, Oilweek Magazine
Its manufacturing-style drilling model can seem overwhelming when 40 or 50 wells at a time are punched in the ground. … To this end, in 2006 the EUB put in place a number of new directives to address stakeholder concerns. The EUB’s Brenda Austin characterizes these new CBM-specific rules as “overprotective, judging from the industry’s feedback.” They include Directive 27 (additional requirements attached to shallow fracing above 200 metres), Directive 44…and the cornerstone Directive 35, which requires baseline water well testing prior to CBM activity. Under Directive 35, testing is required on all water wells if they are within 600 to 800 metres (depending on circumstances) of CBM water wells that are completed above Alberta Environment’s “basic groundwater protection” —a zone that extends from the surface down through freshwater aquifers to where saline water begins…. Dovetailing with these initiatives is some of the work the Alberta Research Council is doing for the government. Alec Blyth, a research hydrogeologist with ARC, says the organization is studying freshwater along three prongs. … “It’s in partnership with both government and industry,” he says.

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