Deploying Technology

ConocoPhillips Canada is committed to investigating and implementing new and proven technologies to reduce the amount of freshwater we use in our business. Technologies we are investigating or implementing will:

• Allow us to reuse water brought to surface during the completion of gas wells. This water, called frac blowback water, is not commonly reused and is usually sent to a secure deep well disposal site. In the first quarter of 2009 in the Foothills, Grande Prairie and Elmworth areas of operations, we successfully recycled 26,000 m3 of frac blowback water, replacing the same volume of non-saline water that would have been required. This also reduced the number of water trucks required to haul non-saline water from the surface water sources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing the number of kilometres driven.
• Treat produced water for re-use in our operations. Initial tests of electro-dialysis reversal have been successful, so a detailed economic analysis and practical field-scale studies will be performed in 2010 to further assess this and other treatment and re-use opportunities.

Water Quality

A concern expressed by some landowners is the potential impact our operations may have on domestic water wells. Alberta’s Energy Resources and Conservation Board regulations require stringent measures to protect shallow groundwater quality during the drilling and completion of oil and gas wells. For example, steel surface casing that is cemented in place is required to extend from the surface to the bottom of known groundwater aquifers, which is considered the base of groundwater protection.

Prior to drilling any well, we sample and test nearby domestic water wells to develop a baseline from which to compare future water quality, should the landowner have any concerns related to our activities. Except for the drilling of coalbed methane wells, this is not required by regulators, but is a common industry practice. In 2008 and 2009, we pre-tested 177 water wells and over the two-year period, none were impacted by drilling or completion operations. Further to this, at the request of landowners, we post-tested 18 water wells after drilling and completion activity, and could confirm that our activities did not affect their water wells.