Taking a regional approach to fracking

An Encana Corp. fracking operation.
Photograph by: Chris Bolin Photography Inc

Ewart: Taking a regional approach to fracking

AER to launch pilot project of oversight

By Stephen Ewart, Calgary Herald February 22, 2014

...."If you're looking at water management you can't do it on a wellby-well basis, it has to be regional," said Cal Hill, Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) "the same with the surface infrastructure."

Fracks in Alberta will typically use less water than in northeast B.C. for example. A gas well in B.C.'s Horn River Basin could use 90,000 cubic metres of water but, according to the AER, a Duvernay well in Alberta would use closer to 30,000 cubic metres.

The oil and gas industry uses about 10 per cent of the water in Alberta but there are concerns over the quantity that could be used in fracking and the impact on water quality.

Haphazard well completions and poor operating practices by a few producers in Canada and the United States have prompted public concern over contamination of water supplies. Several jurisdictions new to oil and gas development have issued moratoriums on fracking.

In Alberta, landowner Jessica Ernst has had a long battle with gas producer Encana over problems with her water she blames on fracking....

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