Tailings ponds in the Alberta oilsands cover a combined 200 square kilometres — a sprawling area larger than Washington, D.C.
The man-made ponds, which contain waste from the mining of tar-like bitumen in northern Alberta, will be part of the landscape for many decades, in some cases more than 100 years.
By Tuesday, Alberta’s energy watchdog will have received plans from the operators of seven mines to clean up the pools of residual bitumen, water, sand and clay under established deadlines.
“The mining industry in the oilsands is young in terms of our long-term plans here,” said Patrick McDonald, oilsands manager at the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
Reid Southwick – Calgary Herald – Calgary Herald, October 31, 2016.
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