Shallow hydrogeological and hydrochemical characterization of the Aquistore CO2 sequestration site in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract

Abstract Aquistore is a carbon sequestration project with the purpose of post-combustion capture of CO 2 from a coal-fired electrical generating station in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada. A measuring, monitoring, and verification (MMV) program was designed to ensure conformance of injected CO 2 and to minimize risks associated with potential leakage via early detection methods. One component of the MMV program was the characterization of shallow hydrogeology as part of a monitoring strategy to trace the migration of CO 2 injected into deep brine formations at the Aquistore site . In order to establish the hydrogeological properties of the site, physical and chemical data were collected from a network of existing and newly-installed groundwater monitoring wells. Results were generally found to be consistent over time, with little seasonal variation in pressure measurements and chemical parameters.