Robert Clarkson

Background

About Robert Clarkson

I am passionate about hydrogeology and the importance of groundwater - one of our most essential yet relatively poorly understood - natural resources. I have more than 35 years of professional hydrogeological experience and have worked on diverse projects across western Canada, Ontario, and Yemen. This breadth of experience enables me to understand perspectives of industry, government, and other stakeholders as it relates to groundwater resources. Understandably, there are concerns about how energy development may affect groundwater quality and quantity; therefore, when the opportunity presents, I am happy to share our scientific knowledge and understanding. Technical areas of expertise include: environmental impact assessments, groundwater monitoring design and analysis, geochemistry, groundwater and surface water interactions, regional groundwater flow modelling, environmental risk assessments, water source and disposal evaluations, aquifer testing and analysis. In addition to a strong technical background, I gained invaluable business and leadership experience as a hydrogeological consultant and manager of operations earlier in my career. I was successful at building powerful, integrated teams, and at identifying strategic growth opportunities. I learned to find the balance between applying science to gather knowledge and develop solutions with the reality of a fixed budget! Since 2008, I've been accountable and responsible for providing hydrogeological leadership and guidance for oil sands resource developments at Cenovus Energy. More recently, I have also been serving as industry Co-chair (representing Cenovus and other oil sands industry peers) in the Groundwater component of the Oil Sands Monitoring Program, a program funded by industry with an annual budget of $50 million.