Lidar capture / Well site and pipeline reclamation
Lidar for well site and pipeline reclamation
A measured record of the site at each stage: before work, after recontouring and at certificate application. Because lidar reaches the ground through crop and brush, the record holds after vegetation returns.
Why it matters
The AER sets an industry closure spend quota each year for abandonment, remediation and reclamation, and every reclaimed site needs proof. After a certificate is issued, operators carry a 25 year liability for surface issues such as topography, drainage and vegetation.
One field program can cover a cluster of leases in a day, cutting truck time for field staff, and clear before and after data helps settle landowner concerns before they become complaints.
What you get
- Pre and post reclamation surfaces with a cut and fill difference map
- Drainage and ponding analysis against the surrounding land
- Lease boundary, access road and topsoil pile volumes
- Pipeline right of way capture for subsidence, erosion and trench settlement
- Dated orthomosaics for landowner and regulator files
- Multi site programs flown as one campaign
Where it fits
Your reclamation professional does the assessment. Our data supports their landscape, drainage and contour criteria with measured evidence.
Capture reference
- Stages
- Before, after, at application
- Outputs
- Surfaces, cut and fill, drainage
- Program
- Clusters flown as one campaign
- Best season
- Spring through fall
- Captured with
- Lidar plus RGB, one flight
- Coverage
- AB base, BC and SK direct
Example scenario
Illustrative, to show the workflowAn operator in central Alberta has 20 abandoned well sites within 30 km of each other, all due for recontouring this season.
- All 20 sites are flown over two days before earthworks begin.
- The reclamation contractor gets surfaces showing where the pad and ditches sit against natural grade.
- After earthworks each site is flown again and compared to the target grade and the surrounding land.
- Sites with ponding risk are flagged before the contractor demobilises.
Deliverables in this scenario: Pre and post surfaces, cut and fill maps, drainage flags, orthomosaics and a summary sheet per site.
Have a site like this? Send the location and what your team needs out the other end, and a scoped quote comes back, usually within one business day, with the positioning method and delivery window stated.
Get a quote for this workCommon questions
Answered plainlyDoes lidar capture replace the reclamation assessment?
The assessment stays with your reclamation professional. Our data gives them measured contours, drainage and before and after surfaces to work from.
Can you capture pipeline rights of way?
Yes. Long linear corridors suit a high endurance airframe, and we map ground change, erosion and settling along the right of way.
Do you work through winter?
Lidar flies in cold weather, though snow hides the ground. Reclamation capture is best from spring through fall.
Sources: AER closure spend quotas · AER closure fact sheet
Related lidar work
All lidar work
Farm drainage
A centimetre level map of where water collects, where it flows and where it would leave the property, before you move dirt or lay tile.
Gravel pits and stockpiles
Stockpiles, pit faces, slopes, stripped soil and disturbed area measured in one visit, so the year end inventory, the activities plan update and the reclamation design all start from the same surface.