All Resources

Potential for gas migration due to coalbed methane development

Description

Coalbed gas (CBG) effectively consists of methane with minor amounts of ethane and propane, but no hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Recognition of CBG as an increasingly important energy resource has led... More ≫

Description

Coalbed gas (CBG) effectively consists of methane with minor amounts of ethane and propane, but no hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Recognition of CBG as an increasingly important energy resource has led to rapid expansion of exploration activity. Rapid development started in the 1980s in the western United States of America (USA), and has spread over the last six years to the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). Increased production activities have brought increased awareness of environmental issues surrounding CBG development. In particular, reports of negative experiences associated with early CBG development in the USA have raised stakeholder concerns in Canada. Alberta CBG development has largely avoided the water resources issues experienced in the USA from CBG exploitation for two reasons. The major CBG resource plays in Canada to date have been in ‘dry’ coals, while ‘wet’ CBG coals developed in the USA required dewatering in order to recover the gas. Secondly, the rapid...

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Compliance assessment & enforcement initiatives, annual report

Description

The GoA is committed to a vision of a vibrant and prosperous province where Albertans enjoy a superior quality of life and are confidence about the future for themselves and their children. Safe... More ≫

Description

The GoA is committed to a vision of a vibrant and prosperous province where Albertans enjoy a superior quality of life and are confidence about the future for themselves and their children. Safe and adequate supplies of water, clean air and land, together with healthy, dynamic communities are the foundations of a high quality of life. All Albertans share responsibility for stewardship of the environment and the responsible use of our natural resources. As part of its mandate, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development is responsible for working with Albertans to ensure that environmental quality is maintained and that natural resources are used responsibly.

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Big Knife Provincial Park biophysical inventory

Description

Big Knife Provincial Park project area covers roughly 297.54 hectares* (735.21 acres) of terrain in and along the Battle River valley southwest of Forestburg in east central Alberta. The Park... More ≫

Description

Big Knife Provincial Park project area covers roughly 297.54 hectares* (735.21 acres) of terrain in and along the Battle River valley southwest of Forestburg in east central Alberta. The Park represents a variety of landscapes and includes the valley bottom and slopes associated with the Battle River and the lower reach of Big Knife Creek to the north, and the northern edge of of a broad upland to the south. The Park also exhibits a variety of plant communities. Better drained sites are vegetated with a mosaic of plant communities consisting of open grasslands, shrublands and dense wooded areas while poorly to very poorly drained sites mostly in the valley bottom are suited to sedge meadows, willow dominant wetlands and cattail marshes. Extensive erosion into the valley slopes has exposed the soft Upper Cretaceous sedimentary bedrock resulting in badland features in the southern portion of the Park. This report elaborates further on the biophysical resources of Big Knife Provincial...

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A summary report on burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) population trend surveys in southern Alberta

Description

The burrowing owl is listed as an 'endangered' species in Canada by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. The species is now considered extirpated from both Manitoba and... More ≫

Description

The burrowing owl is listed as an 'endangered' species in Canada by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. The species is now considered extirpated from both Manitoba and British Columbia, and populations continue to decline in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In Alberta, surveys for burrowing owls have been conducted since 1991 near Hanna, and since 1993 near Brooks. These surveys, conducted in permanent blocks, are an ongoing commitment of Alberta Environment to determine the population status of Borrowing Owls in Alberta, in part to fulfill commitments made to the National Recovery Plan for the Burrowing Owl, and to provide information to the Alberta Endangered Species Conservation Committee. Knowledge of the population trend is essential for status designation, and continued population monitoring fundamental to the conservation of burrowing owls.

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Ecological land classification of Carson-Pegasus Provincial Park

Description

This ecological land classification for Carson Pegasus Provincial Park was commissioned by Alberta Environment. The study area encompassed the entire park and is situated within the Foothills... More ≫

Description

This ecological land classification for Carson Pegasus Provincial Park was commissioned by Alberta Environment. The study area encompassed the entire park and is situated within the Foothills Natural Region with portions of the park straddling both Upper and Lower Foothills Subregion. The majority of the park is found in the Lower Foothills Subregion and totals approximately 1, 209 Ha in area.

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Enforcement activities, annual report

Description

The GoA is committed to a vision of a vibrant and prosperous province where Albertans enjoy a superior quality of life and are confidence about the future for themselves and their children. Safe... More ≫

Description

The GoA is committed to a vision of a vibrant and prosperous province where Albertans enjoy a superior quality of life and are confidence about the future for themselves and their children. Safe and adequate supplies of water, clean air and land, together with healthy, dynamic communities are the foundations of a high quality of life. All Albertans share responsibility for stewardship of the environment and the responsible use of our natural resources. As part of its mandate, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development is responsible for working with Albertans to ensure that environmental quality is maintained and that natural resources are used responsibly.

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High River - Highwood River, Baker Creek and Little Bow River - flood hazard study

Description

This study delineates flood hazard areas and determines design flood levels along an approximate 31 km length of the Highwood River through High River. The design discharge for the Highwood River... More ≫

Description

This study delineates flood hazard areas and determines design flood levels along an approximate 31 km length of the Highwood River through High River. The design discharge for the Highwood River ranges from 750 m³/s at the upstream study extent to 650 m³/s at the downstream extent. Included in the study area are lands flooded by overflow from the Highwood River into the Little Bow River via Baker Creek and the Little Bow Canal, along approximately 3 km of Baker Creek and almost 1 km of the Little Bow River. The flood hazard mapping in a portion of the overflow area and along the Little Bow River is currently under review by Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. The study was prepared in August 1992. Flood information available after study completion may not be reflected in the current flood hazard study report or flood hazard mapping.

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Assessment and remediation of earthen pits associated with oil and gas production in Alberta

Description

This document provides a framework for contaminant assessment and its use in identification of remedial options. Particular attention is paid to potential roles for land treatment and backfilling.... More ≫

Description

This document provides a framework for contaminant assessment and its use in identification of remedial options. Particular attention is paid to potential roles for land treatment and backfilling. These operations are likely to be considered early in the decommissioning process because of their perceived economy and frequent historical use. Whereas land treatment is expected to play a role in future decommissioning, it is appropriate only in certain instances and is but one of the many tools available to their land manager. Because inappropriate spreading of wastes on land damages soil that currently is not degraded it is paramount that circumstances leading to this result be avoided. Proposals following are designed to minimize the occurrence of unnecessary environmental damage.

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The proposed Alberta-Pacific pulp mill : report of the EIA Review Board

Description

Although the proposed mill would be one of the least polluting bleached kraft pulp mills in the world, and even though it would have economic benefits associated with it, the Review Board... More ≫

Description

Although the proposed mill would be one of the least polluting bleached kraft pulp mills in the world, and even though it would have economic benefits associated with it, the Review Board recommends that it not be approved at this time. The major reason for this recommendation is the effluent which would be discharged to the Athabasca River, and in particular, its content of chlorinated organic compounds and the cumulative effects this effluent and that from other mills would have on the Athabasca-Peace River system. The Alberta-Pacific would use technology which would reduce the chlorinated organic compounds to a low concentration. However, the limited available data indicate that there are already measurable amounts of dioxins and furans in fish in the river system near existing mills and extending to more than 1000 km downstream.

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History of floods in the North Saskatchewan River Basin

Description

The objective of this report is to present historical information and data concerning the floods int he North Saskatchewan River Basin. It is the intent to provide in one report the most salient... More ≫

Description

The objective of this report is to present historical information and data concerning the floods int he North Saskatchewan River Basin. It is the intent to provide in one report the most salient flood data and information which may be available in any of the several existing publications. There are currently about sixty hydrometric stations active in the North Saskatchewan River Basin. This report presents data for eighteen selected hydrometric stations. Streamflow data have been collected for the North Saskatchewan River for approximately seventy years and there are several publications which give the recorded flood data in various forms.

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