Projects

Commercial Site
Earthmaster was commissioned by an engineering firm to assess an area where hydrocarbon impacted soil had been encountered in a small rural town during installation of an underground waterline. Earthmaster was tasked with completing assessment and remediation activities on this project.

Liability Assessment
A privately owned oil and gas producer was evaluating an acquisition package consisting of 115 wellsites and small facilities. As part of their due diligence program, they asked Earthmaster to assess the environmental status of each wellsite and facility to estimate their overall liability and exposure. In addition, the client wanted to determine if there were any singular ‘material’ environmental issues that would require a substantial expenditure to resolve in the near or long term.

Oilfield Waste Treatment Facility
A major oil and gas producer wanted to dramatically reduce the time from wellsite abandonment to reclamation certification given population growth pressures in one of the areas in which they operated. In addition, the client wanted to expeditiously remediate contaminated soil that originated from not only abandoned sites, but also operational sites. A large number of such sites was concentrated in a small geographic area and contamination was primarily ‘light end’ hydrocarbons. Given the proximity to residents and their concerns, on-site soil treatment was not a viable option.

Phytoremediation
An intermediate oil and gas company requested Earthmaster’s assistance to remediate over 9,000 m3 of hydrocarbon (F2 and F3) impacted soil that originated from several emulsion spills. An alternative to landfill disposal was desired due to the significant distance to the closest Class 2 landfill and the associated high trucking costs.

Reclamation
A major oil and gas producer wanted to obtain a Reclamation Certificate for an abandoned wellsite in southern Alberta. After Earthmaster completed the Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments and associated remedial activities, final surface reclamation was required. Upon hydrovacing the abandoned wellbore as part of reclamation pre-ground disturbance activities, the Earthmaster field consultant discovered that the wellbore had been cut and capped at a depth of 70 cm below surface grade. The Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) Directive 020 states that in a cultivated field, the casing string must be cut off a minimum of 2 m below final contour elevation. It was estimated that it would cost $150,000 to re-enter and cut and cap the wellbore at the required depth.

Service Station ESA
Earthmaster was commissioned by a commercial business to assess an area where refined petroleum hydrocarbon impacted soil was present due to historical service station activities.

Site Assessment
A mid-sized oil and gas company wanted to establish a structured remediation and reclamation program. As a first step toward that goal, Earthmaster was contracted to complete 135 Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) within a three month time frame.

Spill Response
A mid-sized oil and gas producer experienced a pipeline break and contacted Earthmaster at 7:00 a.m. after they had shut-in the pipeline. Earthmaster was able to respond quickly due to the strategic availability of qualified consultants situated across a large geographic area. Our consultant arrived on-site at 9:00 a.m. that same morning, before most of the client’s field operational staff were aware of the spill. The consultant observed a vast quantity of produced water and hydrocarbons pooling in a low lying area within a farmer’s field.

Urban Naturalization
Earthmaster was retained by the client to conduct a roadside naturalization pilot project along a busy roadway (the Trans-Canada Highway) in Calgary, Alberta. The goal of the project was to demonstrate proof of concept for using an alternative landscaping treatment to replace the manicured turfgrass with mixes of wildflowers and native grasses.

Watercourse Crossing and Fish Habitat Restoration
A mid-sized oil and gas producer was issued an environmental compliance warning from the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) with regards to a watercourse crossing. The License of Occupation (LOC) and associated watercourse crossing were recently transferred to this producer during an asset acquisition. The outflow end of the culvert was perched above the waterbody due to improper installation practices, inadequate maintenance and highly erodible soils.