[LINK] "Couple says toxic gas leaks caused by project under land"

[rfmcdonald]

Carbon capture and storage--artificial carbon sequestration--is the storage of carbon dioxide, usually in below-ground facilities, outside of the atmosphere. It's likely to be one of the most important methods of geoengineering as our 21st century civilization tries to keep the greenhouse effect under control. And a Saskatchewan couple whose farm lies above the largest carbon sequestration facility built so far says that it's leaking.

A Saskatchewan farm couple whose land lies over the world's largest carbon-capture and storage project says greenhouse gases leaking out are killing animals and sending groundwater foaming to the surface like shaken soda pop.

The gases were supposed to have been injected permanently underground.

Cameron and Jane Kerr own nine quarter-sections of land above the Weyburn oilfield in eastern Saskatchewan. They released a consultant's report Tuesday that links high concentrations of carbon dioxide in their soil to 6,000 tonnes of the gas injected underground every day by energy giant Cenovus in an attempt to enhance oil recovery and fight climate change.

[. . .]

Since 2000, Cenovus has injected about 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide underground to force more oil from an aging field and safely store greenhouse gases that would otherwise contribute to climate change.

But in 2005, the Kerrs began noticing algae blooms, clots of foam and multicoloured scum in two ponds at the bottom of a gravel quarry on their land. Sometimes, the ponds bubbled. Small animals -- cats, rabbits and goats -- were regularly found dead a few metres away.

The water, said Jane Kerr, came out of the ground carbonated.

"It would fizz and foam."

Cenovus says that there isn't a problem, but an investigation is ongoing. Regardless, here's to hoping that this technology is perfected so that it can be very widely deployed. I'd prefer to limit the amount of deterraforming in the 21st century.