Water stewardship

Protecting a critical natural resource

We recognize the importance of protecting water resources. We are responsible in how we use water and look to reduce our impact whenever possible. Over the past several years, we have improved our water recycling capabilities and reduced the water intensity of our operations.

Water management at ARC is focused on three core areas:

enhancing water security through infrastructure investments (SECURE)
reducing freshwater use in our drilling and completions activities (REDUCE)
reusing produced water (RECYCLE)

Secure: Water infrastructure

Water is critical to our operations. Investments in water lines and freshwater storage ponds enhance water security and provide long-term, sustainable solutions to water management.

At Kakwa, our water line supports approximately 80% of sites in the area. This line connects water directly to our operations, displacing emissions related to trucked in water supply. To reduce disruption to wildlife corridors, sections of the pipe are raised and small bridges have been installed.

Freshwater storage reservoirs across our field store water pumped from rivers during high run-off periods, and have sufficient capacity to support annual development activities.

Since 2016, we have invested more than $125 million in infrastructure to secure water required for our operations.

Reduce: Drilling and completions

We strive to reduce water use in our operations through optimization of operational design, fluid usage and processes. Innovation and emerging technologies provide further opportunities to improve water performance.

Optimization of hydraulic fracturing design and related fluids has significantly reduced water usage in our drilling and completions operations. By increasing the use of produced water in our operations, we are reducing freshwater use and lowering costs.

Through hydraulic fracturing design optimization in our completions activities, we reduced freshwater usage by 30% in 2021.

Recycle: Produced water

Water treatment and ultrafiltration processes have enabled greater reuse of produced water in our operations. At our Parkland facility, our water recycling hub uses settling tanks and filters to remove contaminants, oil droplets and suspended solids from produced water. Once treated, water can be reused. Innovation and new technologies offer further opportunities to enhance water recycling.

More than 300,000 m³ of produced water was recycled in 2021.

Spill management

In the event of a spill, our comprehensive procedures and training programs ensure a timely response that prioritizes the safety of our people, the community, and the environment.

We have a robust and comprehensive asset integrity program, which includes several key measures to safeguard the environment and our assets. These include preventative measures like corrosion inhibitors and frequent internal pipeline inspections, along with routine activities including pipeline right-of-way surveillance and ongoing monitoring.