The development of shale gas and tight oil reserves in Alberta and BC requires significant volumes of water for various operations including: camp supplies, drilling, and hydraulic fracturing operations. Fracturing operations undoubtedly represent the single largest water requirement for all companies operating in the shale gas and tight oil areas of central and northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. For example, a typical fracturing operation for tight oil formations in the Montney or Duvernay basins could require water volumes of up to 11,000 cubic metres for a 30 stage fracturing operation. Water volume requirements for shale gas development can range from 4,000 cubic metres per frac and approximately 60,000 cubic metres of water per well over several days of operation.
Waterline continues to assist clients with meeting their water quantity requirements before and during project development by conducting regional groundwater resource studies and water well installation and testing. To understand groundwater conditions before and during development, Waterline has also developed regional groundwater monitoring networks. Waterline assists clients with meet legislative requirements and due diligence needs by creating high quality, customized programs in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Waterline has expertise in the following types of projects for shale gas and tight oil developments:
Two and three dimensional modelling;
Regional water supply or injection investigations;
Regional groundwater monitoring;
Groundwater component of Environmental Assessments (EAs) in BC;
Groundwater component of Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) in Alberta; and
Water Act applications for the use of non-saline groundwater in Alberta.