By James Wood and Ashley Wiebe

Playground temporarily shut to enclose leaking well

Aug 23, 2017 | 10:38 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — A playground in Crescent Heights will be temporarily closed, as crews install safety fencing around an abandoned natural gas well.

According to a press release issued by the City of Medicine Hat, the playground area next to the Hockey Hounds Recreation Centre will be closed, as safety fencing is installed around an abandoned well owned by the municipality.

The playground is located at the corner of Division Avenue and 9 Street NE. As for the well, it’s located away from the playground, and the city said it does not pose a safety hazard for either playground or arena users.

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The well in question was named in a draft report compiled by the Alberta Energy Regulator in 2016, which had listed multiple abandoned wells in Medicine Hat as concerns due to the level of gas escaping from them.

The well near the arena, licensed with the number 0012434, was described as a short-term exposure concern. The draft report indicates that testing on the well on September 29, 2014, found methane at a level of 1,000 ppm at the well centre in a manhole system over the well.

Another test, done on November 18, 2015, found a level of 299 ppm at well centre, and no gas migration from the well out to six metres.

Brad Maynes, general manager with the Natural Gas & Petroleum Resources department, said it came down to the way the testing was done back in 2014. He said they had never seen levels that high from that well and began questioning the accuracy of the test itself.

“We test these wells annually and we test them over a long period of time so we get to know the wells, we get to know their patterns and behaviours,” he said, adding that if the levels are high, tests would be conducted more than once per year.

The draft report states that there is an “AER Annual Monitoring approval” in place until November 30, 2019.

Data on the leakage rates of the local wells is not made public by the municipal government, making it difficult to compare rates over time, beyond the data mentioned in the draft AER report.

“(The) City of Medicine Hat provides testing and monitoring information to the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) as required under Directive 79, issued in 2014,” read a statement supplied by the city’s communications department, back in July.

“Individual results vary significantly depending on distance to the original well, atmospheric conditions and the method of testing. In keeping with AER and industry practice, the City does not publish the results.”

Fencing for the well will start on Wednesday, and may take several days to complete. The City is asking for residents to obey the signs posted while work crews are present.