Canada: Lafarge Canada wants to use fracking waste water from two Hants County holding ponds in its Brookfield cement plant, Colchester County.
The Brookfield plant currently uses 35ML/yr of fresh water from Shortts Lake to control the exhaust temperatures of its rotary cement kiln. The fracking waste water would be injected into the kiln in place of some of the water drawn from Shortts Lake, and would be evaporated and emitted out the stack.
"We're looking to do a trial. We want to do a test to see if this water will work with our manufacturing process," said Lafarge spokesman Regan Watts.
However, the proposal has some Colchester County residents on edge. "I think people are a bit concerned," said Bob Taylor, mayor of the Municipality of the County of Colchester. "They are worried about possible harmful effects from it so they want to know it's safe before it goes ahead."
Environment Minister Randy Delorey said that the waste water is being treated a second time by Atlantic Industrial Services using reverse osmosis prior to any use in the plant. He said that the province will consider different options for the waste water once it receives the final test results, expected in early 2014. "It's safe enough to drink," Watts said. "The contaminants have been removed and the recycled waste water exceeds government guidelines to be released in the environment."
