Baseline Groundwater Monitoring in the Transboundary Liard Basin for Source Water Protection

Liard盆地是加拿大第二大非常规油气储层。它位于不列颠哥伦比亚省、育空地区和西北地区的边界内。非常规油气开发需要水力压裂，通常称为“水力压裂法”。自20世纪50年代以来，该地区一直支持常规油气生产。然而，近年来定向钻井和水力压裂技术的进步促进了非常规油气行业的发展。这些活动引起了公众对石油和天然气生产对环境，特别是对当地淡水供应的影响的担忧。北方社区依靠地表水或浅层地下水作为主要水源。虽然浅水看起来很干净，但很容易被污染。因此，有必要寻找淡水的替代来源，特别是从深层未受污染的基岩中。然而，尚不清楚更深的基岩是否也面临石油和天然气生产的风险。如果这些基岩层被天然气、盐、金属或与石油和天然气钻探活动有关的有机污染所污染，它们将不再是未来清洁水的可靠来源。事实上，这些较深的基岩层可能是污染物到达浅水供应的途径，从而加剧了问题。这项研究将制定一项利用地质学、地球物理学、地球化学、地下水流量和质量测量相结合的监测地下水的计划。它将建立一个监测井的网络，由西北地区政府管理，以支持阿乔·迪尼·科第一民族和利亚德堡哈姆雷特的居民。这些监测井和地下水系统的知识将用于评估石油和天然气开发的影响，并帮助了解淡水地下水资源的可靠性。拟议的工作是在确保加拿大石油和天然气部门负责任发展的同时，保护北部水资源的重要一步。

The Liard Basin is the second largest reservoir for unconventional oil and gas in Canada. It is situated within the boundaries of British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Unconventional oil and gas development requires hydraulic fracturing, commonly termed 'fracking'. This region has supported conventional oil and gas production since the 1950's. However, recent improvements in directional drilling and 'fracking' have led to growth in the unconventional oil and gas sector. These activities have given rise to public worries about the impacts of oil and natural gas production on the environment, especially local freshwater supplies. Northern communities rely on surface water or shallow groundwater as their primary source of water. Although shallow water may appear clean, it can be easily contaminated. Therefore, there is a need to find alternative sources of freshwater, specifically from deep unpolluted bedrock. However, it is not clear if deeper bedrock is also at risk from oil and gas production. If these bedrock layers become contaminated by natural gas, salts, metals, or organic pollution related to oil and gas drilling activities, they will not be a reliable source of clean water in the future. In fact, these deeper bedrock layers may act as a path for contaminants to reach shallow water supplies, adding to the problem. This research will develop a plan for monitoring groundwater using a combination of geology, geophysics, geochemistry, groundwater flow and quality measurements. It will create a network of monitoring wells that can be operated by the Government of the Northwest Territories in support of the Acho Dene Koe First Nation and residents of the Hamlet of Fort Liard. These monitoring wells and groundwater system knowledge will be used to assess impacts from oil and gas development and help understand the reliability of fresh groundwater resources for water supply. The proposed work represents an important step toward safeguarding northern water resources, while ensuring responsible development of Canada's oil and gas sector.