❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice regarding fracking activities at Whicher Range wells. The Minister clarifies previous statements and provides details on a well fracked with diesel-based fluid, including monitoring results.
AnsweredQoN 4612Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Whicher Range wells, which have not previously been identified in Parliament as having been subject to fracking, yet are clearly identified by the company as having been fracked at least 12 times prior to 1999, and I ask -
(1) Why was the Whicher-Range 4 well not previously identified as having been subject to fracking?
(2) Can the Minister please identify any and all wells that have been hydraulically fracked, where a medium other than water was used to carry the proppant and specify for each well -
(a) the name of the well;
(b) the location of the well;
(c) the liquid medium used to carry the proppant;
(d) whether any further chemicals were used;
(e) how many times the well was fracked and at what depths;
(f) whether a monitoring program was undertaken; and
(g) whether the monitoring program has identified any issues, and what those issues might be?
(1) Why was the Whicher-Range 4 well not previously identified as having been subject to fracking?
(2) Can the Minister please identify any and all wells that have been hydraulically fracked, where a medium other than water was used to carry the proppant and specify for each well -
(a) the name of the well;
(b) the location of the well;
(c) the liquid medium used to carry the proppant;
(d) whether any further chemicals were used;
(e) how many times the well was fracked and at what depths;
(f) whether a monitoring program was undertaken; and
(g) whether the monitoring program has identified any issues, and what those issues might be?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
18 October 2011
Responded by
Minister for Mines and Petroleum
Response time
42 days
(1) The Whicher Range 4 has previously been identified in response to Question on Notice 4510.
(2) According to records held by the Department of Mines and Petroleum only one well has been hydraulically fractured with a medium other than water.
(a) Whicher Range 5.
(b) The Whicher Range gas field is located onshore approximately 200 kilometres south of Perth, and 22 kilometres south of Busselton on Exploration Permit
EP 408.
(c) The liquid medium used was a diesel based fracture fluid.
(d) Yes.
(e) Multi-zone fracture stimulation started on 17 July 2004. Four sandstone sequences were perforated, from the bottom to the uppermost zone, at depths of between
4259-4262m, 4154-4157m, 4037-4043.5m and 4001-4007m.
(f) Yes.
(g) Yes. Elevated levels of xylene in samples from three of five monitoring bores were detected. The source was attributed to have been from agricultural activity.
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(2) According to records held by the Department of Mines and Petroleum only one well has been hydraulically fractured with a medium other than water.
(a) Whicher Range 5.
(b) The Whicher Range gas field is located onshore approximately 200 kilometres south of Perth, and 22 kilometres south of Busselton on Exploration Permit
EP 408.
(c) The liquid medium used was a diesel based fracture fluid.
(d) Yes.
(e) Multi-zone fracture stimulation started on 17 July 2004. Four sandstone sequences were perforated, from the bottom to the uppermost zone, at depths of between
4259-4262m, 4154-4157m, 4037-4043.5m and 4001-4007m.
(f) Yes.
(g) Yes. Elevated levels of xylene in samples from three of five monitoring bores were detected. The source was attributed to have been from agricultural activity.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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