1 online resource (viii, 122 pages) : illustrations, digital file
Contents
Introduction -- Why a report on gas and water -- The changing face of gas production -- Water -- Landowner concerns about the protection of water -- Fresh and saline groundwater -- Alberta's groundwater resources -- Existing information on aquifers -- New research on aquifers -- Monitoring groundwater -- Conventional gas, coalbed methane, shale gas and tight gas -- Conventional gas -- What is conventional gas -- How can conventional gas development affect water -- What are the government regulatory programs for conventional gas -- Coalbed methane -- What is coalbed methane -- How can coalbed methane development affect water -- What are the government regulatory programs for coalbed methane -- Shale gas -- What is shale gas -- How can shale gas development affect water -- What are the government regulatory programs for shale gas -- Tight gas -- What is tight gas -- How can tight gas development affect water -- What are the government regulatory programs for tight gas -- Development of the resource -- Seismic exploration -- Well drilling -- Drilling mud -- Casing the well -- Well stimulation -- Fracturing fluids -- Fracture propagation in shallow formations -- Volume of water used for fracturing -- Water production with gas -- Water production from conventional gas wells -- Dewatering of coalbed methane wells -- Dewatering of shale gas wells -- Gas migration -- Commingling of gas production -- Handling produced water and water treatment -- Well abandonment -- Best management practices for industry -- What landowners can do -- Learning from others -- Negotiating for best management practices -- Seismic exploration -- Gas well setbacks -- Baseline testing of water wells -- Locating and checking old oil, gas and water wells -- Protection of fresh aquifers -- Drilling wastes -- Produced water -- Gas and water leaks -- Water wells -- Troubleshooting problem water wells -- Landowner maintenance of water wells -- Recommendations to government -- Adopt the precautionary principle to protect fresh aquifers -- Improve knowledge of fresh aquifers -- Increase surveillance of industry operations -- Improve the system for investigating landowner complaints and objections -- Improve routine monitoring of water wells -- Revise the crown mineral disposition review committee -- Increase the resources available to Alberta Environment and EUB and improve their accountability -- Review resource allocation and management in Alberta as it impacts water -- In conclusion -- Appendix A: gas composition and isotopic analysis -- Appendix B: glossary -- Appendix C: abbreviations
