Workers at Suncor Mine. Image via Suncor.com
EDMONTON — Alberta says it is making progress on implementing recommendations aimed at reducing oilsands tailings ponds and improving mine water management, while updating environment ministers from across Canada on the work underway.
Environment and Protected Areas Minister Grant Hunter provided the update during this week’s meeting of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment in Calgary.
The province says it is acting on all nine recommendations made by the Oil Sands Mine Water Steering Committee in 2025, with engagement launched this year involving Indigenous communities, industry, technical experts and other governments.
Hunter said the work is intended to improve mine water management while supporting faster reclamation of oilsands sites.
The government said discussions have been completed with the Alberta Energy Regulator and industry on segregating water streams to increase opportunities for water reuse and eventual release where appropriate. Officials are now reviewing stakeholder feedback and assessing potential policy changes.
Alberta is also examining ways to improve water sharing between oilsands operations while maintaining its policy of managing mine water within individual watersheds. The province said it is not pursuing cross-watershed water transfers because of environmental, regulatory and cost concerns identified by the steering committee.
The province also highlighted a $46-million investment through Emissions Reduction Alberta in nine projects developing technologies to reduce mine water and tailings volumes.
Additional engagement is underway on deep well disposal, standards for measuring naphthenic acids, policies governing treated mine water releases, pit lake reclamation and expanded environmental monitoring.
Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo MLA Tany Yao said the steering committee established a practical foundation for addressing one of the industry’s most complex environmental challenges.
According to the province, Alberta’s oilsands tailings ponds contain more than 1.5 billion cubic metres of fluid tailings and more than 380 million cubic metres of mine water.
The government said freshwater use per barrel of oil produced declined 19 per cent between 2013 and 2024, while recycled water use increased 69 per cent over the same period.
Comments