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Clearwater County residents remain concerned over proposed water diversion project

Jul 10, 2018 | 6:27 AM

Clearwater County residents remain concerned about a water diversion project affecting Clearwater River.

In March, Repsol applied to the Alberta Energy Regulator for a 10-year water diversion license to remove 1.8 billion liters of water per year from the river to use for fracking.

Over 50 residents have formed the Clearwater River Coalition, aiming to stop Repsol from potentially harming the river, its ecosystem and nearby residences.

“We are worried about the aquifer, fish habitat and spawning,” says Evanthia Bosworth, member of the coalition and a resident along the river for over 45 years. “We’re also worried about our real estate value, recreational use of the river, drinking water, and many other things.”

Repsol’s application to the AER is currently under review, but they have been granted a temporary water diversion license.

“On March 20, 2018, Repsol applied to the AER for a 10-year water diversion license under the Water Act,” says Berta Gomez, Communications Coordinator for Repsol. “The term license application is still under review by the AER. We received a temporary water diversion license for our 2018 development plan on May 29, 2018, and we are abiding by the conditions of the license.”

The license allows Repsol to extract water from the river to store in a facility along Highway 22 south. From the storage facility, they are pumping water along Arbutus Road where several wells are to be drilled.

On April 5, Repsol met with the coalition at Arbutus Hall to discuss the project.

“We were informed that they were going to drill 280 wells over 18 years and all will be fracked,” says Bosworth. “Repsol was responsible for the earthquake in Fox Creek in 2016. They said they had learned from this and it should not happen again.”

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit Fox Creek in 2016 due to fracking. Bosworth adds this is on the list of concerns for residents.

“Some people checked with their home insurance companies and were informed their homes and buildings are not covered for earthquakes,” says Bosworth. “The cost for some people was over $400 per year. If something was to happen there would be an additional 2% to 5% deductible of the cost of rebuilding the home, so this is starting to cost us money down the road.”

The Clearwater coalition is represented by Ackroyd Law, which filed a statement of concern in April on behalf of the coalition for the 10-year term license.

In addition to the statement, the coalition has written letters to all levels of government from federal, provincial to local, receiving only one response.

“We did hear from the [provincial] Environmental Minister, Honorable Shannon Phillips,” says Bosworth. “The letter we received back did not address our issues and concerns. We then wrote another letter asking specific questions as we were hoping they would be answered. Several phone calls have been made to Honorable Phillips office and still no response has been received.”

For now, Repsol and the Coalition are waiting for a response from the AER, with both actively taking steps towards their own objective.

“Repsol is committed to a responsible and sustainable water strategy that involves evaluating the amount of freshwater needed and investigating alternate water sourcing options,” says Gomez. “Repsol has been openly communicating with stakeholders since we began working in the Rocky Mountain House area, and will continue to do so throughout the water diversion application process.”

In addition, the coilition continues to spread awareness on the project they believe would be harmful to Albertans.  

“We really believe in our hearts that this is something that people should be aware of,” says Rose Zalasky, member of the Coalition. “It’s not right that they should come in and use all this fresh water for fracking that doesn’t get replaced.”

The coalition’s goal is to get a hearing from the AER in a bid to put a stop to the water diversion.