Overview Map of Study Area, (Geoscience BC Kootenay Lake Geothermal Project Phase 2)
Geoscience BC supported a second phase of research through Selkirk College in partnership with the University of Victoria to characterize hot spring occurrences in the Kootenay Lake area of British Columbia, and to assess their potential as a direct-use geothermal resource (using hot water to heat buildings or for industrial processes).
The results bring scientific back-up to previously held views that the area east of Kootenay Lake may be a potential geothermal resource. This second phase study conducted geological, geochemical and geospatial analyses over an area encompassing Gray Creek in the south, Tam O’Shanter Creek in the north and Mount Crawford in the east.
Fieldwork in the summer of 2022 collected bedrock and water chemistry data. To establish the chemical signatures of water at the sites, water was tested from over 100 sites, with temperature, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS) and salinity measured. These field measurements identified twenty sites from seeps, creeks or springs for laboratory analysis. Drone-based remote sensing data was collected around Crawford Creek where several compelling observations had been made. LIDAR (laser imaging, detection and ranging) imagery and thermal infrared data, which showed a surface geothermal expression extending for 400 metres in the valley.
The second stage of mapping the surface and near-surface geothermal properties for the target areas aimed to verify open fault/fracture sets that support active movement of geothermal fluids. Results have identified the Crawford Creek hot spring and valley, adjacent to the Orebin Creek Fault, as the most viable area for further study to model potential flow rates of the subsurface geothermal reservoir.
This, along with the gathering of geochemical data across the project area, assists in the construction of a local, hydrogeological model for geothermal water in the area.
This second project phase provides a foundation for a future phase, targeting the Crawford Creek and Orebin Creek areas to gather remaining geotechnical data for the generation of a geothermal model to identify test drilling locations. Should test drilling encounter geothermal fluids in the 40-80oC range with substantial and sustained flow rates, it could lead to the development of a commercial-based pilot demonstration project within two years.
By sharing this information with industry, regulators, communities in the Kootenay Lake area and Indigenous groups, it can be used toward advancing a potential local, clean source of heat or energy.
Geoscience BC Manager, Energy and Water, Randy Hughes said: “Analyzing the data acquired by fieldwork and the Geoscience BC funded laboratory analysis was an essential step toward developing a geothermal model for the area. Only through this research can areas be effectively prioritized.”
The project was also funded by the Regional District of Central Kootenay, Colleges and Institutes Canada and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada – NSERC.
Read Geoscience BC Kootenay Lake Community Geothermal Project Phase One
Read GeoScience BC Kootenay Lake Geothermal Project Phase Two