The document discusses hydraulic fracturing in British Columbia, including its water usage and regulations. It provides details on typical water usage for hydraulic fracturing in different geological formations in BC. It also discusses the sources of water used, total water usage amounts, and challenges with treating and reusing flowback water. The document concludes with 17 recommendations to address water issues, climate change, seismic activity questions, and knowledge sharing related to hydraulic fracturing activities in BC.

1. Water Sustainability Committee
Hydraulic Fracturing Focus on
Water

2. BC Water& Waste Association
Water Resources Overview
Northern BC
Montenay Water Project - Source: Geoscience BC

3. BC Water& Waste Association
Unconventional Gas Reserves
Overview
North American Gas Reserves - Source: Encana

4. BC Water& Waste Association
Shale Gas Deposits North
America
Source: Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP)

5. BC Water& Waste Association
What is
Hydraulic
Fracturing
Source: CAPP

6. BC Water& Waste Association
Regulatory Overview BC
• Oil and gas activities in British Columbia are governed by the Oil and
Gas Activities Act. Other regulations that support the Oil and Gas
Activities Act are:
– Pipeline and Liquefied Natural Gas Facility Regulation,
– Consultation and Notification Regulation,
– Drilling and Production Regulation,
– Environmental Protection and Management Regulation,
– Geophysical Exploration Regulations,
– Administrative Penalties Regulation,
– Fee, Levy and Security Regulation,
– Oil and Gas Activities General Regulation
– Prescribed Roads Regulation

7. BC Water& Waste Association
Regulatory Overview BC Cont.
• The Oil & Gas Commission is an independent regulator that provides a
single window for exploration, development, pipelines, and
reclamation. The Commission regulates all oil and gas activities in BC
including:
– Geophysical exploration,
– Wells and wellsite facilities,
– Pipeline systems,
– Gas processing plants, and
– Liquefied natural gas plants.

8. BC Water& Waste Association
Hydraulic Fracturing Activity in
BC

9. BC Water& Waste Association
Treatment Type
Source: BC Ministry
of Energy and Mines

10. BC Water& Waste Association
Water Use in Hydraulic
Fracturing
• The HRB is in the Muskwa formation and is siliceous shale and responds
well to slick-water fracs.
– Typical water use is 2500 to 5000 cubic meters of water per frac
– 12 to 21 fracs per well in this formation.
– Approximately 200 to 300 tonnes of sand
– 30,000 to 105,000 cubic meters of water per well.
• The Montney Trend is in the Montney formation and is tight siltstone
shale. This formation responds well to energized fracs utilizing N2 and
CO2.
– Typical water use is 200 to 600 cubic meters of water per frac
– 6 to 12 fracs per well in this formation.
– Approximately 40 to 100 tonnes of sand
– 1,200 to 7,200 cubic meters of water per well.

11. BC Water& Waste Association
Water Use in Hydraulic
Fracturing
• The Deep Basin is in the Cadomin Formation
and is a sandstone and conglomerate. This
formation responds well to slick-water fracs.
– Typical water use is 1000 to 4000 cubic meters
of water per frac
– 5 to 15 fracs per well in this formation.
– Approximately 50 tonnes of sand are also used
per frac.
– 5,000 to 60,000 cubic meters of water

12. BC Water& Waste Association
Water Use in Hydraulic
Fracturing
• The sources of water are distributed as
follows:
– freshwater (lakes, streams, rivers, and dugouts)
– 60%,
– shallow groundwater - unconfined or confined
aquifers (typically fresh water) – 10%,
– deep groundwater (typically saline and may
require treatment) – 10%, and
– flowback fluid (saline and requires treatment) –
20%

13. BC Water& Waste Association
Total Water Use
• Total water use approved in 2011 was 12,000,000 m3 of
water.
• Only 10% of this volume was actually used and the largest
approved use was in the East Kiskatinaw and represented
about 0.130% of actual runoff for the East Kiskatinaw.
• Annual runoff in the Montney play area is 16.8 billion m3.
• The projected maximum water requirement for hydraulic
fracturing in Montney play is 5-10 million m3 per year.
Approximately 2/3 is projected to be from surface sources.
• This represents about 0.03 percent of average annual
runoff.

14. BC Water& Waste Association
Water Re-Use and Disposal
• There are many challenges to treating and reusing flowback
water:
– Natural gas dissolved in the water can be an explosion
hazard;
– There is great variability in chemical composition making
treatment complex and difficult to do with one process;
– High Biological Oxygen Demand wastewater may need
to be treated using a biological process;
– Sulfate can be reduced to hydrogen sulfide in an
anaerobic environment creating a hazard; and
– Disposal and removal of left over solids after treatment
is another waste stream that needs to be addressed.

15. BC Water& Waste Association
Recommendations and Next
Steps for BC
• 17 recommendations and next steps outlined
• Water issues
• Climate change issues
• Deep well injection issues
• Seismic activity questions
• Coordinated regulatory approach
• Additives and fluid transport
• Alternate water sources
• Cumulative impacts and
• Knowledge sharing

16. Safeguarding public health and the environment
through the sharing of skills, knowledge, education and experience,
and providing a voice for the water and waste community.
www.bcwwa.org
Questions?