Hi guys: Great to see the accelerated interest in our play. I just wanted to make a few comments about the fac water and contamination that we have been hearing about lately. I guess there are two concerns about the frac water. One is the cross contamination of aquifers and the potential impact on local drinking water supplies. As was experienced in southern Ontario during the first discovery of oil at Oil Springs and the ensuing drilling for gas and oil in southern Ontario there was significant cross contamination of the shallower drinking water aquifers due to the primitive drilling techniques applied at the time (1890's - 1940's). Simply the drill casing was never adequately grouted off between aquifers therefore cross connecting the upper and lower aquifers. You can still smell the H2S in the water in some towns or on wells belonging to rural families. Modern drilling can still create these problems if the hole is not proerly grouted.

The second concern is the amount of frac water and slurry that results from the cleaning out of the hole. When this comes back to the surface via the outer casing it flows through the mud pit and then through a series of settlement tanks and lastly a filtration process. There is no other filtration technique applied that I am aware of other than by mechanical means. Therefore the discharge water does not usually meet the Provincial drinking water standards and that is a problem. With more advanced filtration techniques the frac and return water is becoming cleaner but usually does not meet the surface water discharge criteria let alone the drinking water criteria. So it can be a problem meeting the inorganic as well as organic standards. Does anyone on this site have any speccific info on the type of filtration that is actually used at the drill site? I've been out of the game for a few years and things have changed significantly.

Great posts lately guys...keep it up.

Regards, Foggie