Inuvik (July 02/01) - Oil rig operators are hoping not to make a find when they set up near Inuvik next month and burrow a bit 400 metres into untested land.

The Inuvik campus of Aurora College has collaborated with government and industry partners to deliver rig training this summer by drilling a hole and casing it.

If oil or gas is discovered that, and further research, might be in jeopardy.

"If we hit anything over 300 metres we will pull back, plug it and stay at 300 metres," explained project manager Rick Clarke. "There has been no seismic work in the area and no drill testing ... we don't have a good idea at all ... and we do not want to find anything."

If gas deposits are hit above 300 metres operators will try and pierce through them to get the 400-metre cased hole built.

If it appears that a big discovery is made, "basically we will sit back, re-think and make decisions then based on that," Clarke said, adding there is no indication that will happen within 400 metres.

"(The National Energy Board) may want to run tests because they might want to know what is under there this close to town."

The Akita/Equtak rig that finished a successful project in the region last winter will be set up at the end of Navy Road on the right-hand side of the quarry by mid-July.

The average drill depth in the delta is between 1,500 and 2,000 feet before gas is found.

But Clarke said he heard an interesting rumour about a training rig in the 1970s that hit gas at close to the depth anticipated this time around.

"But we can't find any documentation on that hole," Clarke said.

So, the NEB forced the college to operate the rig under the same regulations as any other drilling company.

The main rule imposed was the need for engineers on site who can handle a gas blow-out if a hydrate formation (crystallized gas) is found as well as a need for specific drilling mud.

"It is a weird location because there are so many unknowns so we agree we should go overboard on safety," Clarke said.

By abiding by NEB regulations organizers found themselves struggling for funding and is currently about $75,000 short but that is closing up.

Clarke is waiting to see what kind of equipment and supplies will be donated such as mud, cement casings and things like mandatory safety overalls that would cost in the area of $5,000.

Tuition is not part of the equation. The 140 students registered for the program that runs July 30 to Aug. 22 after the hole is drilled and cased are taking it for free.

Clarke added the project will place the college on the cutting edge of oil rig training since the drilled shaft will be the deepest and the site will be set up for further study by other organizations.

The department of Indian and northern affairs as well as the NEB have shown interest in studying temperature changes in the permafrost.

"I don't think there is a school geared for industry like this one," Clarke said.

Similar programs have been operated by other colleges but what sets this one apart is the depth of the drilled hole. Northern Lights college in northern B.C. drilled a cased hole 100 metres several years ago.

"They did not have to fulfill the same regulations we did but 100 metres is not as good a trip to fall into a rhythm and get good at it," Clarke explained.