Water Use and Quality

Freshwater is essential to the growth and prosperity of communities and businesses. In Alberta, freshwater use is regulated by Alberta Environment. Area population growth continues to increase demand for freshwater. Users—domestic, agriculture, industry, government, Aboriginal peoples and the public—need to effectively manage supplies to meet human and ecosystem demands.

In Alberta, freshwater is defined as either non-saline groundwater with a total dissolved solids concentration less than or equal to 4,000 milligrams per litre or surface water (all water on the ground surface, whether in liquid or solid state). However, the term freshwater does not necessarily mean ‘potable water.’ The Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines includes a total dissolved solids aesthetic objective for total dissolved solids with an upper limit of 500 mg/L total dissolved solids. Elevated levels of total dissolved solids (i.e. greater than the Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines level of 500 mg/L) typically result in excessive scale buildup, odour, taste and colour issues within a potable water system.

In steam-assisted gravity drainage operations, water is drawn from deep non-potable fresh or brackish aquifers, treated and used to generate steam. The steam is injected into the ground and the majority of water is produced back to the surface with the oil. This produced water is recycled and treated for reuse in steam generation. One of the byproducts of steam generation is sediment, or scale, and a small percentage of the water is used to mobilize this sediment into a licensed disposal well.

Watch our animation about how water is used and treated in steam-assisted gravity drainage operations.

Water use in the oil sands is under increasing discussion by the public and regulators and is actively managed as a key issue for oil sands producers. Some of the concerns related to water use by steam-assisted gravity drainage producers include:

• Cumulative effects of multiple oil sands projects drawing from water resources.
• Use of non-potable freshwater to generate steam at in-situ operations.
• Risk of contamination of freshwater sources from industrial activity.

Water is an integral part of the steam-assisted gravity drainage process because it is used to generate steam. Much of the physical footprint of a steam-assisted gravity drainage facility is dedicated to handling water, whether separating oil from the produced water, treating water, recycling water or boiling water to generate steam. We optimize our water use continually, which is an important facet of our water management because of the volume of water the facility handles.

Surmont Phase 1 does not use surface water, such as river or lake water, in the production process. Surmont Phase 1 draws water from the Lower Grand Rapids Formation, an underground aquifer located more than 175 metres below the surface. This aquifer contains non-saline, non-potable water between 1,200 and 2,500 parts per million total dissolved solids and is classified as freshwater under the Water Act and regulated by Alberta Environment.

We are focused on reducing water usage by increasing water recycle rates, substituting saline water for freshwater in our operations and reducing overall water use through application of new and advanced technologies.

We are improving all the time. Since Surmont Phase 1 start-up in 2007, we made measurable gains in terms of our recycle rate, getting closer to achieving the regulated 90 percent recycle rate mandated by the Energy Resources Conservation Board. At the same time, we encountered challenges in finding saline water of suitable quality (e.g. economic to treat) for use in our operations.

Learn more on Water Quality

• Canada-wide
• Western Canada Gas
• Arctic

Water management in the oil sands is a complex issue. ConocoPhillips Canada is advancing technology to minimize our water use, using increasingly saline water in our operations and monitoring groundwater quality and aquifer performance. Additionally, we are working with other members of industry and government to enhance our collective understanding of the regional water supply.