Underground drinking water is at risk unless seismic companies are forced to reseal the holes they drill when testing for oil and gas, said farmers at the Alberta Surface Rights Federation annual meeting.
“I realize it’s a serious concern and industry realizes it’s a concern,” said Herman Selcho, manager of the Land Management and Energy Liaison Group of Alberta Environment.
Selcho had a long list of complaints from farmers about seismic companies. At the top was water quality.
Holes let in contaminated water
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“The number one concern is seismic shot holes drilled in the bottom of a grass creek where runoff flows down the hole,” he said.
Oil and gas companies use seismic methods to carry out preliminary exploration for oil and gas. Usually a series of holes, called shot holes, are drilled about 20 metres deep in a line to be surveyed. Dynamite is placed down the holes and detonated. The ground vibrations are recorded and used to judge if oil or gas is likely in the area.
The holes are plugged with caps that look like plastic cones with wings. But producers say the caps are often blown out when the dynamite is detonated, or the holes are never plugged in the first place. Dirty ditch water or pesticides from fields run down the open holes and contaminate the water underground.
“We’ve had 50 years of unplugged holes. It’s been 49 years too long,” said Casper Yurkowski of Round Hill.
Selcho is revising the provincial Exploration Act which expires October 1998. He’s meeting with farmers and oil company representatives to see if changes are needed or whether seismic companies need to follow a code of practice to help ease tensions between the two sides. There are about 70 seismic companies working in Alberta.
Paul Vasseur of the government’s Office of the Farmers’ Advocate said about 25 percent of the complaints at the Edmonton office deal with seismic companies.
“Their business seems to be in a hurry and there’s more room for conflict,” said Vasseur.
Improperly plugged holes
The farmers complain the holes haven’t been plugged properly and garbage from seismic activity is left around the fields.
Each year a dozen to 20 farmers apply to the Farmers’ Advocate office for compensation under the Water Well Restoration Program. These people generally have water well problems after seismic activity in their area, he said.
Provost farmer David Blum said there are tougher rules for water well drilling companies than seismic operators.
“There’s been a double standard for years,” said Blum.
Water well drillers are required to cement the hole from top to bottom to prevent groundwater contamination. He thinks seismic companies should be made to completely seal their test holes.
Gerry Topilka, vice-president of the Alberta Water Well Drilling Association, said unless the shot holes are plugged completely there is nothing to protect the groundwater from contamination.
He said in a meeting with environment minister Ty Lund, the minister wanted “smoking gun” evidence that unplugged seismic holes lead to groundwater contamination.
“But to find smoking gun evidence is a very difficult thing to do. It’s difficult to say contamination came from that hole,” said Topilka.
“You will never have clean water again once it’s contaminated.”
