Stage 1: Review of Terrain Hazard Assessments and Mapping In
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BGC ENGINEERING INC. BGC AN APPLIED EARTH SCIENCES COMPANY OIL AND GAS COMMISSION STAGE 1 REVIEW OF TERRAIN HAZARD ASSESSMENTS AND MAPPING IN NORTHEAST BRITISH COLUMBIA FINAL REPORT PROJECT NO: 0452-001-05 DISTRIBUTION LIST: DATE: March 31, 2006 OGC – 1 COPY BGC – 2 COPIES BGC ENGINEERING INC. BGC AN APPLIED EARTH SCIENCES COMPANY 500 - 1045 Howe Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6Z 2A9 Telephone (604) 684-5900 Facsimile (604) 684-5909 March 31 2006 BGC Project Number: 0452-001-05 Mr. Peter McAuliffe Oil and Gas Commission Technical Services and Regulatory Affairs Branch PO Box 9331 Stn Prov Gov’t 5th Floor, 1675 Douglas St. Victoria, BC V8W 9N3 Dear Peter: Re: Stage 1 Review of Terrain Hazard Assessments and Mapping in Northeast British Columbia Please find attached a final copy of our above referenced report and map dated March 31, 2006. In addition to this report we are providing two binders of hardcopy technical references, drill hole logs from Duke Energy, and landslide reports from MoT. A CD containing contents of the online database, PDF reports, and ArcGIS files is enclosed in the back of the report. Instructions on how to access the draft versions of the online database and ArcIMS mapping application are found in Appendix II of the report. Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at the number listed above. Best regards, BGC ENGINEERING INC. per: Mark Leir, P.Eng. P.Geo., LEG Senior Geological Engineer N:\BGC\Projects\0452 OGC\001 NE Hazard Inventory\04 - Reporting\060331_0452-001 OGC Report.doc Page I BGC ENGINEERING INC. OGC March 31, 2006 Stage 1 Review of Terrain Hazard Assessments in NE BC 0452-001-05 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The oil and gas sector is currently operating over a wide geographic area in northeastern British Columbia. In some instances, there are terrain hazards that are affecting or could potentially affect oil and gas activities. These hazards need to be inventoried, described, and understood so the development companies can avoid or manage the risk in these areas. The purpose of this study was to: • Describe the current state of knowledge on terrain hazard mapping and work completed to date. • Include a summary of terrain hazards relevant to northeastern BC and to oil and gas development. • Provide a synopsis of current information gaps and recommendations on how to best address the information needs. • Include recommended methodologies for future terrain hazard assessment work. The deliverables for this project include a report, hardcopy map (Figure 1) and accompanying prototype Internet database and linked online mapping application in Google Earth and ArcIMS. The database is accessible on the Internet and contains geologic hazard locations with linked references, photos, and co-ordinates. It currently contains about 100 named hazards, 1500 landslide points, and over 70 indexed documents and maps. Hardcopy papers, reports, and drill hole logs have been supplied in to binders and the reports indexed in the database. The landscape features susceptible to landslide hazards that may be encountered during oil and gas resource development include: • Glaciolacustrine surficial geology units that contribute to large rotational landslides, creep and settlement. • Exposed Shaftsbury Bedrock Formation and portions of Ft. St. John Bedrock Group that contribute to large translational landsliding and creep deformation. • Alluvial/Colluvial cones that are susceptible to creep deformation. • Areas of degrading permafrost that contribute to differential settlement and triggering of landslides • Valleys and gullies that expose Shaftsbury Formation and portions of Ft. St. John Group • Slopes greater than 10° that contribute to landsliding Prior to routing and construction, oil and gas development must be aware of problematic areas to ensure that facilities avoid these areas, are adequately designed, and are set back a sufficient distance from the valley crest. Access roads can be repaired and re-routed more N:\BGC\Projects\0452 OGC\001 NE Hazard Inventory\04 - Reporting\060331_0452-001 OGC Report.doc Page ii BGC ENGINEERING INC. OGC March 31, 2006 Stage 1 Review of Terrain Hazard Assessments in NE BC 0452-001-05 easily than pipelines and drill pads. Hazard avoidance cannot be effectively done unless the location, potential extents, mechanics, and maximum velocity of the landslides are estimated prior to facility routing, design, and construction. The OGC ultimately requires a permitting process that prioritises areas that are susceptible to landslide hazards. To identify these areas in an economical manner and at a practical scale we propose that a simple landslide susceptibility map be constructed. A susceptibility map aggregates factors that contribute to landsliding, such as unfavourable geology, slope, and evidence of previous landsliding, in a systematic manner and defines areas that are currently or potentially unstable. This map could be classified into to 3 or 5 classes of landslide susceptibility and each class would require a set of due diligence criteria that an oil and gas development company would be encouraged to follow in order to minimise the risk to their facilities. Initially, the map could be constructed using the mosaic of information assembled as part of this study. The map will be dynamic as it will become more accurate and detailed as larger scale information is added. Areas where key information gaps exist and oil and gas development is proposed can be made a priority for more detailed geology and landslide inventory. At this time the following minimum information is required to build the susceptibility map. • Cretaceous shale bedrock • Glaciolacustrine surficial geology • Documented landslide points • Ground movement pipeline incidences • Slopes greater than 8 to 10 degrees This report lists a set of existing data sources that should be added to the resources assembled to date. This additional information is relatively easy to collect and provides a substantial improvement to the inputs in the proposed susceptibility map and reduces the current number of 1:,20,00 scale mapsheets requiring further study (See Figure 1) The algorithm used to create the susceptibility map has not been finalised at this time. However simple algorithms and an awareness of the limitations in the input data often result in a cost effective landslide map. Additionally, a simple algorithm is easier to explain to the end users of the map resulting in an increased utility and confidence in the result. N:\BGC\Projects\0452 OGC\001 NE Hazard Inventory\04 - Reporting\060331_0452-001 OGC Report.doc Page iii BGC ENGINEERING INC. OGC March 31, 2006 Stage 1 Review of Terrain Hazard Assessments in NE BC 0452-001-05 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...................................................................................................................II TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................IV LIMITATIONS OF THE REPORT .......................................................................................................VI 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 2.0 SCOPE OF WORK ........................................................................................................... 1 2.1 Purpose ................................................................................................................... 1 2.2 Study Area............................................................................................................... 2 2.3 Data Acquisition....................................................................................................... 2 2.4 Data Compilation ..................................................................................................... 2 2.5 Analysis ................................................................................................................... 2 2.6 Reporting ................................................................................................................. 3 3.0 RESULTS .........................................................................................................................3 3.1 Deliverables............................................................................................................. 3 3.2 Data Sources........................................................................................................... 4 3.2.1 Surficial Geology.......................................................................................... 4 3.2.2 Bedrock Geology ......................................................................................... 6 3.2.3 Technical Papers and Reports .................................................................... 7 3.2.4 Pipeline Incidences Data ............................................................................. 8 3.2.5 Seismic Epicentres ...................................................................................... 8 3.3 Interviewed Contacts ............................................................................................... 8 3.4 Current State of Knowledge..................................................................................... 9 3.4.1 Bedrock........................................................................................................ 9 3.4.2 Surficial Materials .....................................................................................