Crew’s water strategy is founded on responsible water management, which is critical to the success of our business. We strive to handle water costs efficiently while maintaining maximum flexibility for a changing business environment by managing our water logistics proactively and with a nimble approach to meet our operational and exploratory needs.
Given the importance of water to our business, it is also one of our most significant risks. From access and use, to disposal, storage, and transportation, our team prioritizes the intricacies of our water strategy to ensure we maintain long-term viability while operating responsibly and sustainably.
To facilitate effective water management, we have a dedicated Water Management Operator who oversees our water sources, storage, and regulatory compliance. We are committed to identifying and mitigating water risks by thoroughly assessing water flow diagrams within Crew’s operations. Risks associated with freshwater permits, physical access to water, water levels, storage, transportation, and disposal are continually assessed, evaluated, and prioritized throughout the year. We research policies and identify measures to mitigate risk within our water operations, such as exploring different monitoring technology for produced water transfer and water storage.
22% Reduction
in our freshwater intensity from 2021
<0.011 m3/boe
5-year average for freshwater intensity
>20,000 m3
produced water shared with other operators in 2022
60,095 m3
of produced water moved using Primus technology in 2022, and over 533,000 m3 of produced water transferred by Primus technology to date
>50%
use of produced water in our West Septimus area in 2022
23%
produced water utilization at Groundbirch, up from 0% in 2021
As Crew continues to explore new development areas which are not currently supported by our existing produced water infrastructure, our freshwater use and consumption remain higher than in previous years. In response, we initiated plans to develop future infrastructure, such as produced water storage and invest in the additional deployment of spoolable temporary above-ground produced water pipelines to improve water reuse efficiencies and reduce our reliance on freshwater.
Water Withdrawal and Use (m3/year)
Produced Water Use in Exploratory Areas to Offset Freshwater
We are actively working to reuse produced water to offset our freshwater use in our exploratory areas. In one year, we have made significant progress, increasing produced water usage at North Septimus to 14% and Groundbirch to 23%.
Water Management and Conservation Strategies
Innovative Technology
As part of our ongoing efforts to reduce freshwater use, we explore technologies, opportunities, and best practices to optimize water use and reduce our environmental footprint. The implementation of cameras, instrumentation, and SCADA on our sites help add a layer of oversight to monitor and track our water metrics and operations continuously.
As a steadfast proponent of Primus, a spoolable temporary surface pipeline technology, Crew continues to transfer produced water in a safe, responsible, and environmentally friendly manner. We recently purchased additional spoolable pipelines to transfer produced water over longer distances and plan to upgrade connectors to handle higher pressures. The reliability of this system is evident, as Crew has not experienced any reportable spills associated with the use of the Primus line.
Collaboration
Crew is an active and committed member of the Montney Water Operators Group. Through our participation, we have shared over 20,000 m3 of produced water with a local operator in 2022 alone. Sharing produced water not only helps to reduce the industries’ reliance on freshwater sources in the region for fracturing operations but also reduces the associated trucking and disposal costs.
As we continue to explore innovative solutions and technologies to optimize our water management practices, we remain dedicated to working with industry partners to promote long-term sustainability for our operations and the region.
Water Disposal
In early 2020 Crew drilled a water disposal well to handle produce water from our West Septimus facility. Since commissioning, this well has eliminated over 7,100 tCO2e emissions, equivalent to removing over 1,500 cars per year off the road.
Well Design
Crew actively designs wells to minimize the risk of water impact from our hydraulic fracturing operations and production. Several risk mitigation processes and techniques that we employ include:
- Detailed reviews with key personnel prior to drilling and completion operations.
- Design and installation of the surface casing with conservative set depths to provide a barrier to preserve shallow aquifers.
- Design improvements to production casing weight and connection specifications, centralization, and cementing to increase safety factors during hydraulic fracturing and production.
- Development of site-specific operational procedures and the utilization of high-pressure pump shutdowns and pressure relief valves to prevent over-pressuring of the casing and wellhead.
Monitoring
Our operations group oversees a variety of metrics associated with our activities and uses Point, an online water management and tracking system, to provide real-time access to our data.
Additionally, we monitor our water processes, systems, and infrastructure through the following:
- Routine surveillance and automated systems
- Proactive erosion and corrosion prevention
- Geotechnical and survey assessments on our produced water storage sites
