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Kakisa concerned about use of hydraulic fracturing
Community undertaking a multi-year water studyRoxanna Thompson Northern News Services Published Thursday, November 24, 2011
Paramount Resources Ltd., a Canadian energy company, has used hydraulic fracturing at approximately five of its well sites in the Cameron Hills project area, said Terence Hughes, a regulatory and community affairs adviser with the company.
Fracturing – or fracking – isn't a common completion technique the company uses on wells, but it has been used in the past, Hughes said. Cameron Hills is located on the NWT-Alberta border south of Kakisa.
Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting a highly-pressurized fluid into a well to create new channels in the rock to increase extraction rates.
The fractures are usually kept open after the initial injection by introducing a proppant, such as grains of sand, into the injected fluid.
Chief Lloyd Chicot of the Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation said Kakisa residents are concerned because not enough is known about the chemicals used in the injected fluid and their short- and long-term impact on groundwater.
Chicot said in other areas where fracturing has been used, there have been reported problems with groundwater.
The community is taking steps to protect the water. This winter, Kakisa is starting what it hopes will be a multi-year study to gather data on water in the area and aquatic mammals.
Water samples will be taken from a variety of areas including Tathlina Lake and Cameron Hills.
Specialized equipment will be used to monitor water turbidity, Chicot said.
"We're trying to get a picture of the quality of the water over a period of time," he said.
The data will make it easier for the community to make decisions on any proposed future development and its potential effects on the water system, said Chicot.
The community will also be able to look at the effects current development is having, he said.
To fund the study, Kakisa has drawn from a number of different federal funding sources.
Chicot said the community is also trying to get organizations such as Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada to work together and share information.
A lot of communities in the territory talk about protecting the water and the land, but not many are doing testing, said Chicot.
The chief said testing needs to be done to look for signs of change caused by development and the presence of metals in the water.
In addition to addressing fracturing at a community level, Chicot was also one of the movers on a motion passed at the Dene Nation leadership meeting held in Fort Smith from Oct. 25 to 27.
The motion called for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in the Denendeh until further research is conducted to determine the effects on the land, water and human health.
The Dene also want proper regulatory regulations and safeguards put in place for similar developments.
Chicot said Kakisa is often portrayed as being anti-development, but it isn't. The community
wants to ensure any development follows the safest practices possible, he said.
When asked about Paramount Resources Ltd.'s use of fracturing, Hughes said the company has undergone three environmental assessments by the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board. One specifically addressed drilling techniques including fracturing.
The company only utilizes fracturing on a well-by-well basis, he said.
No fracturing will be done at the Cameron Hills project this winter because Paramount Resources isn't drilling any new wells during the winter season.
Cameron Hills wasn't selected as part of Paramount's capital budget this year, said Hughes.
"It's competitive in the company for capital," he said.
Paramount will do limited work in the area to complete one of the two wells drilled last year and evaluate if it is able to produce at an economically-viable level.
A service rig will also be used to abandon some wells and to increase the production of other wells, said Hughes.
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