InnoTech Alberta organized a series of discussions with stakeholders in Calgary and Edmonton from February 8 to March 6, 2018, to develop a collective understanding of the number of sites impacted by soil sterilants and the specific challenges associated with their remediation and management. Thirty-nine people from government, industry and the consulting and services communities participated in the discussions.
Awareness of the extent of sterilant issues is increasing as more sites are being decommissioned. Historical work focused on upstream oil and gas sites but there are many others in the province. Delineation of sterilant impacts is problematic for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is a historical focus on surface expression through plant effects. There is increasing awareness of the prevalence in deeper soils and groundwater, both of which significantly increase the cost and difficulty of treatment. Simple, field-based delineation tools was identified as a priority need.
There are a variety of treatment options available but limited experience in understanding their effectiveness, efficiency and cost in an Alberta setting. Selection of a treatment option should consider the full environmental cost of deployment, especially where soils must be excavated or groundwater pumped. A decision-making tool to help select an appropriate treatment was identified as a priority need.
A common theme in the discussion was a need for better Alberta-specific guidelines that focus on “true” risk to the environment.
There was a strong sense of the need for greater communication amongst practitioners and a desire to form, and participate in, a Community of Practice.