Government Toxic Groundwater Plan ‘Watered Down’
Proposed CBM Extraction Could Pollute Water Sources
Fernie, B.C. — The provincial government says their plan to deal with potentially toxic water is acceptable. However, environmental groups say more questions need to be answered.
Despite the government’s vow that their ‘re-injection’ policy is safe, the real details of the potential damage to water sources from proposed coalbed methane (CBM) extraction have not been disclosed.
“This policy is watered down and untested,” says Wildsight’s Southern Rockies and Flathead Program Manager Casey Brennan. “Citizens should consider whether their government is more concerned with big business, or the health of their constituents and the environment.”
The CBM extraction process requires large amounts of potentially toxic groundwater containing heavy metals or salt – deemed wastewater under federal law – to be brought to surface and then pumped back underground into deeper water tables.
The government’s‘re-injection’ policy proposes to redirect wastewater back underground with the goal of avoiding contaminating domestic water sources. Wildsight says the government is overlooking a simple law of nature.
“The problem is, all water sources are connected,” says Wildsight’s Casey Brennan. “Any toxins introduced in the water table will inevitably find their way back to the surface.”
Despite arguing its plan is adequate, the provincial government has not responded to Wildsight’s request to the Minister of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources to clarify how the B.C. government will require companies to follow best environmental practices.
Oil and gas corporations BP and Storm Cat Energy are seeking approval to extract CBM in the region. Calgary-based Storm Cat Energy has already drilled 20 exploratory wells to support their 2008 commercial operations, while BP’s Mist Mountain proposal is seeking to drill twenty five wells over three to five years.
“Each day, [Storm Cat] is dumping water into the Elk River at a rate that would almost fill the pool at the Fernie Aquatic Centre,” says Citizens Concerned About Coalbed Methane (CCCBM)’s spokesperson Ted Ralfe. “Imagine how much water would be produced by hundreds or thousands of wells if this project goes to full scale commercial production.”
Toxic sludge and ammonia from BP’s oil and gas refinery in Indiana has been polluting Lake Michigan for decades. The sludge contains many of the same heavy metals found in wastewater being dumped by Storm Cat into the Elk River.
Brennan reiterates that citizens can make a real difference in their communities when they shape their opinions around the facts.
“By looking at the real situation and reading between the lines, anyone can see a whole different story,” says Brennan.
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For more information, contact:
Casey Brennan
Wildsight Southern Rockies and Flathead Program Manager
250.423.2603 (h)
250.423.0402 (c)
casey@wildsight.ca
Ted Ralfe
Spokesperson
Citizens Concerned about Coalbed Methane – East Kootenay
tedlaw@shaw.ca
250.423.6844
About Wildsight
Wildsight works locally, regionally and globally to protect biodiversity and encourage sustainable communities in Canada's Columbia and Southern Rocky Mountain region. This area is internationally recognized as a keystone to conservation in western North America. Wildsight received the 2005 Canadian Environmental Award for Conservation in recognition of its successful work to protect the region's wildlife and wildlands. For more information, please visit www.wildsight.ca.
