Coalbed and cattle

[cowman]

I might just point out: Nope you don't need ground water to grow a crop? Take a look at all the barley, wheat, canola fields...none irrigated. Live in town, grow cereal and oilseed crops...half of Saskatchewan does that already?

[sagewood]

Yikes Cowman--live in town?? Not until I am very much older and infirm etc. etc.--too many people too close together--and no cows--still can't imagine life without cows, horses, dogs and a few cats to round out the herd. Yes I know most of Sask. live in town and just dry grain farm--they have done that for years, but it really isn't to my liking, and I suspect not to a lot of farmers and ranchers.

[grassfarmer]

That's a scary concept cowman - "you don't need groundwater to grow crops" Where does rainfall, groundwater and aquafers merge and become one? - they must all be related. I think without groundwater you would certainly have less trees - with less trees you would attract less rainfall. Note how the drier areas of the prairies have less trees than the wetter parts.
The opposite happened in Scotland where they blanket afforested large areas of formerly open hill land in the 50s and 60s with sitka spruce. They now get substantially more rainfall in localised areas and it has leached the land so severely that lakes downslope can no longer support fish due to acidity.
Still who cares...we could always drink oil or coalbed methane pop....

[cakadu]

You don't need groundwater to grow a crop, but you sure need it to have that spring of yours flowing, cowman. The groundwater recharges aquifers, sometimes hundreds of miles away. Come out this way to see the effects of draining away all the water has had. Out here we could be in a real jam if all this drilling activity affects groundwater. Without groundwater you have NO surface water. The water on the surface acts as a barometer if you will of what is actually underneath the ground.

People in town need water to drink - where does that come from? People that have never been without water don't necessarily place any value on it -- until it isn't there. It wasn't that long ago that we were in a severe drought and by some accounts we aren't out of it yet.

[cowman]

Well I'm not sure about the rain thing? It seems to come from the coast more than any local source...but I could be wrong there?
Who knows why it rains or why a spring exists? I certainly don't but will note when the drought was at its worst the springs flowed heavier! The rigs were hauling for miles around and they just started flowing heavier! And my pockets filled up with money!
I know Linda that there are spots in your area where they have a tough time finding water and maybe you have a right to be concerned. Here, just below the divide we have almost too much water!
There is a large area east of Edmonton that has no ground water? They seem to do well without dugouts?
But the bottom line is this: The gas will be exploited? As safely as economically possible? I think generally the people of Alberta support this concept? If you don't think so, don't vote for the current government! And how is that working for you lately? Isn't democracy wonderful?

[coppertop]

cowman, you are correct in saying the resource will be exploited and I think its up to the people of Alberta to hold industry and the government's feet to the fire to ensure that this exploitation does not come at the expense of the environment or a safe supply of water.

[cowman]

I think the government and industry did try to address some of these concerns? There are new guidelines and rules out there that went quite aways to protecting the aquifiers?
You know how it is? Some people would never be satisfied no matter what the industry or government did...short of a total ban on all developement!
They seem to forget that they drive a car, want their road paved, enjoy turning on the power or heat! That their job/income is a direct or indirect result of the oil and gas industry! Shut it all down and they'd be screaming the loudest for the government to do something!
We live in a pretty wealthy country. It was built by exploiting the resources available, whether that be the land for agriculture, for forestery, mining or oil and gas? The pioneers in all these industries were workers and visionaries, not a bunch of "tree huggers" who have some airhead fantasies about the good socialist life!

[specialareas4]

I would love to have the list you emailed to the others. thank you all ...for posting. For the new people out there it is the most information I have ever seen. I am so sick of being pushed around and lied to by landmen.
Thanks again
predigers@xplornet.com