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UBC Theses and Dissertations
Groundwater flow model of the Merritt region and potential response to coal seam dewatering Barclay, Jordin Alexander
Abstract
The effects of coal bed methane (CBM) development on the quantity and quality of groundwater in the vicinity of the City of Merritt, British Columbia were assessed through a modeling study. The impacts of coal seam dewatering for C B M at a pilot scale and at a regional scale are assessed here using a series of groundwater flow models. Two potential pathways were identified that could hydraulically connect a dewatered coal seam and the aquifer: faults within the Tertiary rock and coal seam subcrops. A pilot scale model included coal seam subcrops along the unconformity between the Tertiary rocks and the Quaternary sediments and examined their potential response to coal seam dewatering. Using estimates of hydraulic conductivity (K) and subcrop exposure, the rate at which groundwater enters the subcrops ranges from approximately 7500 m³/ day for a high hydraulic conductivity scenario to approximately 70 m³/day for a low hydraulic conductivity scenario. For the medium hydraulic conductivity scenario the groundwater loss was 725 m³/day. Under a modified scenario where dewatering takes place only in relatively continuous coal seams and relatively far from subcrops, the loss was approximately 45 m³/day. The regional scale model assessed the role of a fault that extends from the southwest to the northeast through the region. For a thick, high hydraulic conductivity fault, the estimated loss was approximately 1430 m³/day whereas for a narrow, medium hydraulic conductivity fault the estimated loss was 83.2 m³/ day. Based on the results of this study, if coal seam dewatering takes place in areas relatively unaffected by faults, subcrops or other potentially high hydraulic conductivity features, the risk towards the City of Merritt's groundwater supply are likely to be low. However, as the city continues to develop and the groundwater demands increase, there is inherently greater risk to the groundwater supply.
Item Metadata
Title |
Groundwater flow model of the Merritt region and potential response to coal seam dewatering
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2008
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Description |
The effects of coal bed methane (CBM) development on the quantity and quality of
groundwater in the vicinity of the City of Merritt, British Columbia were assessed
through a modeling study.
The impacts of coal seam dewatering for C B M at a pilot scale and at a regional scale are
assessed here using a series of groundwater flow models. Two potential pathways were
identified that could hydraulically connect a dewatered coal seam and the aquifer: faults
within the Tertiary rock and coal seam subcrops.
A pilot scale model included coal seam subcrops along the unconformity between the
Tertiary rocks and the Quaternary sediments and examined their potential response to
coal seam dewatering. Using estimates of hydraulic conductivity (K) and subcrop
exposure, the rate at which groundwater enters the subcrops ranges from approximately
7500 m³/ day for a high hydraulic conductivity scenario to approximately 70 m³/day for a
low hydraulic conductivity scenario. For the medium hydraulic conductivity scenario the
groundwater loss was 725 m³/day. Under a modified scenario where dewatering takes
place only in relatively continuous coal seams and relatively far from subcrops, the loss
was approximately 45 m³/day.
The regional scale model assessed the role of a fault that extends from the southwest to
the northeast through the region. For a thick, high hydraulic conductivity fault, the
estimated loss was approximately 1430 m³/day whereas for a narrow, medium hydraulic
conductivity fault the estimated loss was 83.2 m³/ day.
Based on the results of this study, if coal seam dewatering takes place in areas relatively
unaffected by faults, subcrops or other potentially high hydraulic conductivity features,
the risk towards the City of Merritt's groundwater supply are likely to be low. However,
as the city continues to develop and the groundwater demands increase, there is
inherently greater risk to the groundwater supply.
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Extent |
20088373 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-03-06
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0052743
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2008-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International