The opposition is concerned about the quality of the water near the many oil and gas wells drilled in the St. Lawrence Valley.
The Parti Québécois (PQ) and Québec solidaire (QS) are calling for scientific assessments of the quality of groundwater, following worrying data on the degradation of the quality of groundwater in the Murdochville sector, in the Gaspé, even several years after exploratory drilling.
The PQ and QS echo several environmental groups, who claim this data on the contamination of water near all the oil wells drilled over the past 20 years.
“Yes, there is really a danger for the quality of the water, the drinking water, and for the residents”, commented the PQ member for Gaspé, Méganne Perry Mélançon, at a press conference.
“That’s exactly why you have to have a complete inventory for the last 20 years, so beyond the 2014 regulations, to really get to the bottom of the story. “
According to data from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, 534 “inactive” wells have been located since 2018, and 241 others have not been found, despite inspections by the ministry. Of this number, 209 are considered “non-locatable”, and therefore lost forever.
Among the inactive wells located, the ministry estimates that 95 will require “work”, for example to stop natural gas or oil leaks.
Work of which Quebec is currently unaware of the exact costs, but for which the public funds that will be spent do not represent “astronomical” sums, had told the To have to at the end of November Minister Jonatan Julien. However, he recalled that the government has earmarked $ 10 million in the most recent budget, in order to “secure” wells found and inspected by experts from the ministry by 2023.
Lack of data
Environmental groups particularly deplore the lack of data on groundwater near 19 wells drilled with the hydraulic fracturing method, out of the 31 drilled in the St.Lawrence Valley.
According to this front of environmental organizations, it is inconceivable that oil companies demand compensation – because the government has decided to end all exploitation of hydrocarbons in Quebec – when we do not know the state of contamination of water caused by successive drilling over the years.
Among the organizations that have joined forces for this initiative, there are in particular Greenpeace, the David Suzuki Foundation, Équiterre and Nature Québec.
With Le Devoir