Talks eye standards for release of oilsands water

EDMONTON — Oilsands producers are talking with the federal and Alberta governments about conditions under which water from the industry’s tailings ponds could be released into the environment.

Officials say releases would only involve treated water and wouldn’t happen until the end of a mine’s life.

Environmentalists are watching the discussions closely and warn that quality standards for released tailings water should be high.

“If they’d be willing to take the water and dump it in the Bow River near Calgary, then perhaps,” said Keith Stewart of Greenpeace.

Alberta has a zerodischarge policy for the oilsands. No water affected by processing is allowed back into Athabasca River and even rain that falls on developed sites must be collected and stored. Most of that water is kept in tailings ponds.

The ponds — covering 170 square kilometres with a toxic blend of hydrocarbons, silt, salts and heavy metals — have been a lingering headache for the industry. Alberta’s energy regulator has already had to relax on enforcing regulations about cleaning up the ponds after companies pleaded they would simply be unable to meet their targets.

But as the province develops new tailings regulations, there is general acknowledgment that something will have to be done with the water currently filling the ponds once contaminants have been removed and stored at the bottom of socalled end-pit lakes.

Alberta Environment “is consulting on a tailings management f ramework with industry and First Nations,” department spokeswoman Nikki Booth said in an email. “Included in that consultation are discussions about introducing tailings water (free of the tailings) back into natural waterways at the end of a project.”

Documents obtained under Access to Information laws refer in the summer of 2012 to “the industry request for tailings release as a management option.”