ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD
Acho Dene Koe First Nation is watching with interest as the first full season of a multi-year remediation project gets underway on a former natural gas field near Fort Liard.

Apache Canada Ltd. has begun its first full work season in a multi-year project to remediate the Pointed Mountain site located approximately 21.5 kilometres northwest of Fort Liard. The site contains a variety of structures including six wellbores – or holes drilled for exploration – two that are cut and capped and four that are not, including the one pictured. - photo courtesy of Apache Canada

Apache Canada Ltd. has started its 2014 work program at its Pointed Mountain remediation project. The site is located approximately 21.5 kilometres northwest of the hamlet near Fisherman Lake.

The gas field has a long history. It was discovered in 1966 by Amoco and began producing in 1972. Abandonment work was started on the site in 2001 by Amoco, which had merged with BP.

Apache took ownership of the site in November 2010 when it purchased a series of properties from BP, said Paul Wyke, a spokesperson with Apache. The company's goal is to return the site to a condition equivalent to that before industrial activities began.

The remediation is garnering a lot of attention in Fort Liard where there is a long history of concern about Pointed Mountain. The site is very close to Fisherman Lake where some families have cabins and people fish.

For years, residents have believed that water has been seeping underground from the site and contaminating the lake. The lack of year-round monitoring means there is no conclusive evidence, said Chief Harry Deneron of Acho Dene Koe First Nation.

Some local people who worked on the site have also said the cleanup by Amaco and BP wasn't done properly. There are stories of hundreds of old tires, 45-gallon drums potentially still containing chemicals and even a whole camp complete with trailers buried underground, in addition to contaminated soil.

"We're going to see if we're going to find those things," Deneron said.

Although oil and gas companies are now held to much stricter standards, Deneron said there's still a lot of mistrust locally toward companies like Apache because of things that happened in the past. Deneron said that he recognizes Apache didn't create the situation they are now cleaning up.

"I'm glad that Apache understands the problem and that they are trying to rectify that," he said.

Apache has a land-use permit from the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board that expires in the summer of 2019. They plan to have the site remediated by then.

Although the gas plant, camps and office have been dismantled and the above-ground pipelines have been removed, the site still contains a lot of structures including six gas wells, holding ponds, landfills, underground septic tanks and an airstrip complete with runway lighting. There is also approximately 20 kilometres of underground pipeline, Wyke wrote in an email.

The company has a number of goals for its first full season of work at the site including evaluating the condition of the underground pipeline network and confirming regulatory standards were met when it was abandoned.

The company will also be examining the best way to treat contaminated soil at the site as well as determining how much soil has been affected and where it is. Other planned work includes assessing all of the sites to determine the extent of the environmental impact, plus cutting and capping four remaining wellbores, or holes drilled to extract resources, below ground level. Two have already had this process done.

This year's work will help determine the budget for the entire project, said Wyke. Initial estimates are between $2 to $5 million.

Apache held an open house in Fort Liard in late March to inform the community about its remediation plans. The company was scheduled to hold a community barbecue on July 15 to listen to further concerns and answer questions about the work.

"Apache has an excellent relationship with Acho Dene Koe First Nation," Wyke said.

Deneron, who was planning on attending the barbecue, said he's pleased with the amount of local work that is resulting from the remediation project. Local helicopters, jet boats and barges are being used to ferry supplies and people to the site and residents are being employed in positions like equipment operators, he said.

In addition to contracting services locally, the company is planning a three-day training workshop for residents. People who take the training course can apply to be environmental field assistants, Wyke said.