More of the crude oil being produced in the world is heavy oil. It was reported by Meyer and Dietzman (1979) that world annual production of heavy crude oil was about five percent of other oil produced. They forecast that heavy crude oil production would increase. Canadian heavy oil production cumulative to 1979 was reported to be 197 million barrels. By 1996 Canadian daily production levels have risen to the levels shown in Table 1, with annual production of heavy oil and bitumen exceeding cumulative totals produced to 1979.

Potential problems in a shallow reservoir, and a growing demand for improved water quality, led to the testing of methods of taste and odor removal from metropolitan Winnipeg's water.