Shell builds water treatment facility in Canada

Shell has opened the Dawson Creek Reclaimed Water Project in British Columbia, Canada, to recycle sewage waste water and stop the use of fresh water in its Groundbirch natural gas venture operations.

The facility can treat 4,000m³ of sewage water every day to industrial and municipal standards and can used to clean roads, water sports fields, and for drilling and well completion operations.

Shell constructed a 48km pipeline to transport the treated water from the facility to the Groundbirch area.

The company is expecting to cut down around three million kilometres of truck trips every year because of the pipeline.

Shell Canada president and country chair Lorraine Mitchelmore said: "Through this collaborative partnership with the City of Dawson Creek, we are virtually eliminating the amount of fresh water used for our operations, providing the city with an additional source of revenue and reducing three million kilometres a year in truck traffic from local roads."

Canada Minister of Energy and Mines Rich Coleman said: "The use of treated waste water is an excellent step forward by Shell and the City of Dawson Creek to improve resource demands and operations, and is an example of a green project that has already resulted in positive change."

Dawson Creek Mayor Mike Bernier said: "The new plant demonstrates the value to our community of working collaboratively with industry to find innovative solutions to shared challenges."

The Groundbirch venture consists of five natural gas processing plants, more than 250 wells and a gas-gathering system.

The operation is currently producing enough natural gas to meet the needs of around 400,000 Canadian homes.

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Image: Shell’s Dawson Creek Reclaimed Water Project in Canada. Photo: courtesy of Royal Dutch Shell.