Well Blowout Alberta | Wellsite Remediation
A natural gas well blowout occurred during routine well servicing at an Acclaim Energy wellsite located in a rural residential area of Parkland County in Alberta, approximately 200 m from the Enoch Cree First Nation Reserve and approximately 600 m west of the Edmonton City Limit. Slightly sour gas and formation fluids (primarily salt water, with a small amount of oil) flowed to surface outside the well casing at a rate of 2,000 m³ per day, eroding a large crater and creating a significant spill containment challenge.
In total, over 48-million litres of fluids spilled, amounting to the largest spill in Alberta’s history. Solstice was retained to manage and direct the soil assessment, waste management, soil remediation and reclamation. This project also involved soil testing on First Nations land, and collaboration with environmental construction monitors from the Enoch Cree Nation. At the conclusion of the project, the Alberta government’s investigation team concluded the success of the remediation and reclamation: “Despite the high profile of the blowout and the impacts to nearby residents, the EUB found that public safety was never compromised during the incident and there have been no lasting environmental impacts from the blowout.”
Major issues that Solstice addressed:
Worker and contractor safety
Regulatory support (Alberta Environment)
Environmental issues related to the release of substantial volume of saline produced water (chloride concentrations in the order of 100,000 mg/L)
Extensive materials management (>200,000 m³ at depths of up to 18 m below ground surface)
A large assessment and activity footprint (~24 ha)
Data requirement and reporting support to multiple insurance providers
Key services provided:
Waste management
Project management
Environmental assessment
Wellsite Remediation
Wellsite Reclamation
Safety and ground disturbance supervision
Regulatory reporting & liaison with Alberta Environment
First Nations collaboration
Insurance adjuster reporting
