Investigation of Potential Far Field Impacts on Freshwater Resources Related to CO2 Storage: A Case Study of the HARP Project Site in Alberta, Canada

Abstract This work investigates if saline pore water pressure increases associated with CO 2 injection could impact overlying freshwater resources via upward migration along potentially leaky boreholes at a proposed CCS site in Alberta. Injection was simulated using a single-phase model and a series of numerical experiments were conducted to assess potential impacts in the overlying aquifers in terms of pressure head changes and the presence of simulated tracers. The results indicated that impacts were both localized and minimal, and became increasingly negligible above the exposed intervals of the potentially leaky boreholes.