By Shaurya Karki

Fort St. John, BC –  This has been a very interesting summer, touch wood. I am in the middle of “stretching” myself and loose muscles have never felt better. I am up North interning with the British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission (BCOGC).  In a nutshell, this single-window regulatory agency is responsible for overseeing oil and gas operations in British Columbia, including exploration, development, pipeline transportation, and reclamation. [1]

Keeping things on point, I am working on ensuring that there aren’t any lasting environmental impacts after the completion of Oil & Gas activities. This is an important step in moving towards a balanced ecosystem as it confirms that surroundings are back to a healthy state.

Learning about industry norms and terminology has been challenging but worth it. As a student in chemical engineering, I am avidly learning about groundwater sampling and aquifers. I look forward to contributing to the policy guideline for hydrogeologists/hydrologists/public to characterize aquifers under the oil and gas sites as part of risk assessment/management or general interest. Correctly characterizing aquifers will help find the optimum location for sites and thus minimize risks associated with it.

I have been thoroughly enjoying this experience so far and my supervisors and fellow team members are a major reason for that. The importance of teamwork was stressed and practiced in our first year and has equipped me to effectively contribute to the team.

I apologize for the lack of photographs; my phone isn’t in its best condition which means I have been living rather than capturing the moments. However, I got a few and will keep updating them as the internship continues 🙂

Looking forward to the rest of the summer.

Take care.

References

[1] https://www.bcogc.ca/