Summary of Hydraulic Conductivity Values for the Paskapoo Formation in West-Central Alberta

As part of the Alberta Geological Survey project Hydrogeological Characterization of the Fox Creek Area, West-Central Alberta, the hydraulic conductivity of the Paskapoo Formation was evaluated for west-central Alberta. Hydraulic conductivity values were determined along the length of nine drill cores from the area between Hinton and Fox Creek using an air permeameter. Additionally, pumping test records from the Alberta Water Well Information Database were analyzed to estimate transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity.

The resultant horizontal hydraulic conductivity values vary from 1.1x10^-10 to 1.0x10^-3 m/s, supporting previous findings that the Paskapoo Formation is a highly heterogeneous system. Whereas previous studies have focused mainly on the lower portions of the Paskapoo Formation (i.e. basal sandstone), this study focuses on the middle siltstone/mudstone unit (1.1 x10^-10 m/s to 4.9 x10^-8 m/s) and upper sandstone unit (1.1 x10^-9 m/s to 1.0 x10^-3 m/s) for the north-western portion of the Paskapoo Formation.