Groundwater Protection: Priority Number One

Oil and natural gas producers have stringent requirements for how wells must be completed. The genesis of these requirements is water safety.

Casing is the first line of defense used to protect freshwater aquifers.

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FAQ's

  • Is the raw data available for fracfocus.ca?

    Yes, the raw data for BC and Alberta are available directly from each regulator's website.

    For BC, the database is available at https://bcogc.ca/online-services. Please navigate to the REPORTS section under Reservoir Engineering to a link called Complete FracFocus Data.

    For Alberta, you can access this information through the AER Product and Services Catalogue as a self-serve item. Specifically, it is found within the ‘Wells’ category, with the product name “Hydraulic Fracturing Water Source and Water Use Data”. As the product name implies, there is detailed information on water used for hydraulic fracturing operations, as well as the source(s) of that water; fluid composition information is found within the ‘Hydraulic Fracturing Water Use Data (Annual)’ self-serve file.

  • I know there are wells in my area that have been fractured, but when I search for them I get no results. Why?

    The most likely reasons are that either the wells were fractured before January 1, 2012 (British Columbia) or January 1, 2013 (Alberta) or they have not yet been entered into the system. Only wells fractured after those dates will be entered into the system.  Furthermore, companies undertaking hydraulic fracturing operations have 30 days from the time their completion operations have finished to submit their records. Initially, records for Alberta wells may take longer than the 30 days noted as licensees develop systems to compile and report the information electronically.  Please keep checking back as wells are added on a daily basis

  • What is a Hazardous Material Information Review Act Claim Exemption?

     

    Within Canada, any supplier who is required, pursuant to the provisions of the Hazardous Products Act, to disclose the chemical identity or concentration of any ingredient of a controlled product may, if the supplier considers such information to be confidential business information, claim an exemption from the requirement to disclose that information by filing a claim for exemption under the Hazardous Material Information Review Act. 

     

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National Energy Board to Join Fracfocus.ca

Calgary, Alberta (November 27, 2013) - The National Energy Board (NEB or the Board) will soon request companies regulated under the Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act (COGOA) to publicly disclose information on the fluids used in hydraulic fracturing operations.

Today the NEB signed an agreement with the BC Oil and Gas Commission, and the US-based Ground Water Protection Council and Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission to participate in the Fracfocus.ca website.