Investigators with the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) are continuing to probe the site of a "unique" oil well blowout incident near Gleniffer Lake, 26 kilometres west of Innisfail.
It was a potentially dangerous event that required an extensive cleanup operation last weekend over an area of up to a kilometre long.
"If there were residents or wildlife there may have been an impact," said Darin Barter, spokesperson with ERCB. "Any type of blowout is dangerous. There is always a danger when this happens."
The incident occurred during the afternoon of Jan. 13 about a half kilometre southwest of the junction where the Red Deer River flows into Gleniffer Lake. A farmer who was near the site when the blowout occurred reported it to the ERCB. Barter said the farmer has been cooperating with both the company at the site and the ERCB.
Barter said a hydraulic multi-stage frac operation conducted by Calgary-based Midway Energy Ltd. appeared to have impacted a nearby oil well operated by Wild Stream Exploration Inc., which also has its head office in Calgary. The situation caused a release of fracturing fluids, which included crude oil, frac oil, water and sand, said Barter.
"The two wells were in close proximity to each other and for some reason ñ three kilometres below the ground ñ something occurred geologically underground that put the two wells into contact with each other which caused the blowout," said Barter.
He said it was a situation in the industry that was "unique" and rare.
"I wouldn't say impossible. These things can and do happen," said Barter. "It is very, very rare. I think that is what we are going to be looking into, to see if it has happened before. We will see if we can compare apples to apples. We are taking this very seriously because it is unique."
He said no one, including workers at the site, were hurt as a result of the blowout. Barter added there were no fires, but there was a significant amount of fluids that were sprayed across a farmer's field, which one estimate claimed was up to one kilometre long.
"Spray did come out of the well and it went downhill. And that is why it is difficult to give a length," said Barter. "I can tell you definitively there was no impact to the river that leads to Gleniffer Lake or to Gleniffer Lake itself."
He said the ERCB probe is continuing at the agency's Red Deer field centre in cooperation with officials at the Calgary head office.
Barter could not say when the investigation will be completed.
"It is too early. It is a complicated matter," he said. "I wouldn't say a couple of days but maybe in a few weeks."
