Independent water review sought

Landowners who claim that oil and gas drilling has contaminated their tap water want the province to reopen investigations into their complaints.

In letters sent Wednesday to Alberta Environment, the landowners contend an Alberta Research Council report, released in January, was inadequate and should be reviewed by independent scientists.

The central Alberta residents believe recent drilling for coal bed methane -- natural gas found in coal seams -- or old petroleum activity is responsible for methane migrating into their well water.

"The investigation is incredibly flawed," said 49-year-old farmer Fiona Lauridsen, who noticed trouble with her water in 2005, when her eyes burned in the shower and her skin turned red. "They never said it's definitely not. They said most likely not."

High levels of methane can be explosive. In some cases, residents have been able to set their tap water on fire.

But the Alberta Research Council report concluded the methane found in the wells was naturally occurring, a phenomena that exists in parts of Alberta where underground water supplies come from coal seams.

Alberta Environment spokeswoman Cara Van Marck said the department closed its files on the residents' complaints because it was confident in the research council's findings.

"We were confident then, and we are confident now," she said. "We appreciate the concerns that the landowners raised in their letters and we will look into it and get back to them."

Alberta Environment has not found a link between water contamination and coal bed methane development, which has advanced rapidly since 2002, as the province's reserves of conventional natural gas dwindle.

Several other water contamination complaints, however, remain ongoing, Van Marck said.

Liberal environment critic David Swann believes the province should re-examine concerns from Lauridsen and her neighbours. He reiterated his party's call for an independent panel to review their water complaints.

The province has "been so inconsistent in the way they've managed complaints over the years," Swann said.

"We're left with a lot of questions, a lot of liability, that the government is now faced with and they want to shut this up as quickly as possible and, of course, that is not acceptable."

Until the air is cleared further, Swann believes the province should continue paying for the delivery of water to affected residents.

A natural gas company had been paying for water delivery to the Lauridsens and their three children. Fiona Lauridsen said they wouldn't be able to cover the cost, roughly $2,000 a month, if their supply was cut off.

She doesn't think creating another water well would be a viable solution.

"If the aquifer is damaged," she said, "what's the point of me drilling another well?"