In 1988 a joint research program was developed and implemented by the Alberta Research Council and ESSO Resources Canada Limited to identify the impact of different loading rates of KCl, NaCl, and freshwater gel drilling wastes landspread on Luvisolic soils currently occurring in the Cold Lake area.
During 1989 five site visits were made to complete various tasks . Climate monitoring equipment was installed during the period May 15 to 17 and tissue from the brome grass was collected on June 19. The plots were harvested on June 26 and 27 and, again, on August 14 and 15 at which time soil sampling was also completed.
Elemental content levels increased or decreased slightly as a result of waste addition. Mean values, for the various elements determined, were within the range of values normally found in soils, except for Ca which was slightly below the minimum levels noted. The effect of the addition of drilling wastes on the elemental enrichment of the brome grass was demonstrated by the enrichment ratio (ER) . The tissue from the treated plots exhibited elevated levels of chloride, sodium , and, to a lesser extent, copper, in comparison with the tissue from the control plots. The concentration of potassium in the tissue from the treated plots changed very little relative to the control plots, and magnesium uptake declined with increased waste application rate and, in particular, with the NaCl waste.
The application of the different wastes at various rates had both positive and negative impacts on the soils and the plants grown thereon.