Fracking waste water disposal gets approval from Nova Scotia government
Waste water will be used as a coolant in a kiln at the Lafarge cement plant in Brookfield
The Nova Scotia government has given a company approval to dispose of more hydraulic fracturing waste water that is stored in two holding ponds near Kennetcook.
The waste water will be used as a coolant in a kiln at the Lafarge cement plant in Brookfield and evaporated at 700 degrees Celsius after being treated for naturally occurring radioactive materials with a process called reverse osmosis.
The government has said that a previous pilot project of two million litres showed evaporation is a viable disposal solution for the waste water.
Last October, the province allowed Atlantic Industrial Services to treat an additional five million litres of waste water left over from drilling in 2007 and 2008.
The work is expected to begin next week and will see the company relocate its water treatment equipment from Debert to Kennetcook, with up to eight truckloads of treated water transported daily to the cement plant.
The province says Triangle Petroleum has 20 million litres of wastewater in the two holding ponds in Kennetcook.