Impact of Oil and Gas on Acidification of Alberta Surface Water

This report examines the acidification of surface water in Alberta, primarily focusing on the impacts of oil and gas operations. The introduction highlights the critical importance of water and the detrimental effects of pollution, emphasizing that oil and gases from industrial activities are major pollutan...Read More

Acidification
SURFACE WATER POLLUTION FROM OIL AND GASES IN ALBERTA

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Acidification of the surface water
Introduction
One famous poet by the name W. H. Auden once denoted that ‘Thousands can live
without love but none can survive without water’. While everyone understands the importance of
water to every living thing, we take it for granted anyway. It has been proved that 80 percent of
the global water waste is dumped untreated to the rivers, lakes, and oceans, thus polluting the
aquatic environment. The main pollutants of these water bodies are oil and gases from industrial
activities (1). Water pollution is a global challenge and it is putting people’s health at jeopardy
because unsafe drinking water kills more people yearly that war and all other kinds of violence
together. The available clean and safe water sources are very limited and that is only 1 percent of
the earth’s fresh water. This calls for an action to avert this challenge because by the year 2050
the demand for fresh water will have increased by one-third of the current demand (2)
In this paper we shall focus on the surface water contamination mainly from oil and gases in the
Alberta and Columbia. We shall focus mainly on acidification on the water bodies as the main
effect from the oil pollution in Alberta.
Acidification
Alberta’s oil sands operations is one of the largest industrial projects globally, which
has seen the mining of bitumen and the damage it is causing to the landscape and the
environment is massive. This development is mainly responsible for contaminating the Alberta
lakes with poisonous carcinogenic as opposed to earlier claims that the pollution occurring in the
water waterway was natural. A research that was carried out by scientists from the Environment
Canada confirmed that the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons famously known as the

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Acidification of the surface water
PAHs have risen within the six lakes surrounding this development (3).Further studies confirmed
that chemicals from the 5 decades of oilsands production are being witnessed in increasing
amounts in lakes especially in Northern Alberta and the effects are being felt in the country. This
study was carried out with samples from six lakes surrounding the oilsands and even further
lakes like Lake Namur which is 90kms northwest of the oilsands (4). The previous research
established that the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the lakes from which the
samples were taken had increased between 2 times to 23 times since early 1960 just before the
mining in the area started. It was confirmed that also these chemicals has increased in the water
bodies from the polluted air and are deposited in the marshy areas over a period of time.
A biologist by the name Jonh Smol who heads from Queen’s University also confirmed
that the northern lakes which were formerly unspoiled now have same chemical as the lakes near
urban areas, blaming the pollution from urban centers activities. In 2012, the Canadian
government together with the Alberta province administration initiated the joint oil and sands
monitoring program also called the JOSM in order to enable the government to monitor the
pollution the sand oil has on air, water bodies and the environment at large. They established that
water pollution on water bodies in Alberta occurred from the nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide
gases from the oil sands (5) this massive oil sands operation is also responsible for polluting the
Athabasca River system. This river has always contained assessable levels of naturally occurring
sand oils that comes from the hydrocarbon substances that sips through to the river system from
the bitumen which comes from the oil sands. Due to this sand oils, ground water in this region
also has been found to contain hydrocarbon compounds and oils because this water naturally
comes into contact with the oils reservoirs(6).It is important to mention Great lakes and more so
Lake Erie which has almost been declared dead due to pollution. United States and Western

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Acidification of the surface water
Canada has seen an increase in oil production since 2010 and its transportation through pipes
happens through this region. This region has become very vulnerable to oil spills over the time.
Lake Erie has seen oil spills from the oil pipes and near shore rails that go through the lake. This
Lake has also seen an increase of Nitrogen and Phosphorus gases which comes from the factories
and water sewers that are deposited in the lake (7).
Acidification is one of the challenges that have resulted from the oil deposits in the lakes
in the Alberta region. It is estimated that nitrogen and sulphur emissions from the mining and
processing activities of oilsands in Alberta has already surpassed 384 t/d of nitrogen and nitrogen
dioxide and 246 t/d of sulphur dioxide. A research was conducted to establish the effects of
acidifying emissions from the larger water bodies. It was established that acidification has
affected the ecosystem in the lakes to an extent that some water bodies appear to brown in color
(8).Acidification has a short-term toxic effects on aquatic living organisms and in the long-run it
affects the water pH and consequently the overall health of the ecosystem is completely affected
(9). A research that was carried out to determine the effects of the oil pollution in the area
established that the level of acidification had risen in the recent past. The acidification causes a
decrease in the amount of carbonate which is key growth factor to the marine organism such as
coral and plankton because it assists them to build their shells and the surviving ones the shell
will disintegrate thus causing death of the organisms. The acidification also causes the pH levels
to vary at a high rate and this has seen very few organisms and aquatic animals able to adapt to
this kind of changes and variations to pH levels. This kind of pH variation has seen very few
species of aquatic life adapting and the principle of survival for the fittest has been subjected to
these organisms but they should survive naturally on the water bodies. The impact of this kind of
acidification has not been the same across the plant species because they are some sea grass and

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Acidification of the surface water
algae that survive well in the increase levels of CO2 for it helps them to increase the rate of
photosynthesis thus facilitating their growth. Though this might be a good thing, there are some
of the plankton varies which will be suffocated by the increase of these large plants in the water
bodies (10). Once water bodies are declared acidic, they are no longer able to support a large
number of aquatic lives. This acidity kills the animals especially the fish and the food they feed
on especially the planktons that grow on water bodies that are alkaline or with a balanced PH.
This acidity has greatly affected Lake Erie and has seen the population of the
zooplankton has taken a decreasing trend. Formerly the lake was inhabited by larger species of
these plants like the Daphnia but this has decreased in population and it is being replaced by
smaller species. This has also seen the reduction of fishing in the lake which is usually done for
commercial purposes. When this kind of fishing started in the 19th century, the production was
mainly on large and more expensive species like the lake trout, the herring and whitefish.
Regrettably, the populations of these precious species have decreased with time because of the
increase pollution of water from chemicals and increase in acidity (11).
The Government of Alberta should swing into action to introduce measures and
regulations to ensure that the water pollution from the oilsands has reduced or stopped altogether
in order to prevent further damage that is being caused by the increase of acidity in these Water
bodies. The Alberta environment agency should continue to issue approvals and enforcing of
codes of practice that will reduce or eradicate the affluent release from the industrial activities. It
should put the regulations to control the drilling of oil from the oilsands and all the participants
to sign the prevention measures and policies of protection of Alberta aquatic systems.

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Acidification of the surface water
Conclusion
Acidity is the main cause of deterioration and death of aquatic life especially in the lakes
and other water bodies in Alberta. Acidity alters the water pH due to increase of the CO2 in the
water and thus affecting the normal growth of aquatic life. The research has indicated that even
at a pH5 some fish eggs cannot hatch. Even though some fish and animal species can survive in
moderately acid water, the plant and animal species they feed on might not survive. It is the
responsibility of the government to come up with measures and regulations to ensure that the
water pollution from the oilsands has reduced or stopped altogether in order to prevent further
damage that is being caused by the increase of acidity in these Water bodies. In conclusion, the
pollution of surface water from the oil and other industrial affluent should be stopped at all cost
to ensure availability of clean water and health aquatic life in future and clean water demand will
continue to rise with time.
References

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Acidification of the surface water
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Acidification of the surface water
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