Consultants charged over water diversion in oilsands

The Alberta government reports that it has laid multiple charges under Alberta’s Water Act against an oil sands developer and an environmental consultant. The charges relate to three oil sands exploration projects near Fort McMurray.
The projects required the use of an approved amount of surface water to freeze access roads and to drill exploration holes. Ulliac Oilfield Consulting Ltd. and owner Jason Ulliac are charged with 10 counts under Alberta’s Water Act for allegedly providing false or misleading information about the volume of water diverted from five different water sources for three projects.

Another 20 counts were laid against the consultants as well as Grizzly Oil Sands for allegedly exceeding the terms of a licence for nine different water bodies, failing to provide information on how much water was diverted from those waters. They are also charged with using a pump intake screen of the wrong size.

The first court appearance is set for January 16, 2013 in Fort McMurray.