Releasing processed oil sands waste into the environment isn’t the only solution being considered to clean up the massive toxic lakes in northern Alberta, federal Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeau says.
Guilbeault said Wednesday that while his government is developing regulations for how the tailings can be discharged into the Athabasca River, other solutions are under review.
“We never said this was the only solution we were considering,” he said. “We have not ruled out the possibility of finding technical solutions to the problems with the tailings ponds.
Guilbeault’s comments came as UNESCO investigators arrived in Alberta to look into threats to Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada’s largest.
Investigators must assess whether federal and provincial efforts to halt the park’s ecological slide are enough to prevent the U.N. agency from placing the park on its list of endangered world heritage sites, a move the agency has already called “likely.”
One of these threats is the tailings ponds, adjacent to the Athabasca River, which flows into the park and the vast freshwater delta it protects.
First Nations and environmental groups are concerned that the Alberta and federal governments have already decided that treating and releasing the water into this river is the way to go. Not so, Guilbeau said.
“Some people tell us that the only solution is to decontaminate the water and dump it in the river. We certainly don’t take this for money,” he said.
“This is one of the possibilities, but not the only one.
UNESCO researchers will determine whether Wood Buffalo National Park should be listed as a World Heritage Site in Danger. (Submitted by Mikisew Cree First Nation)
The government is developing regulations in case the release of treated water proves to be the best answer. Regulations take time to develop, and Guilbeault said something should be ready by 2025, when the current lakes will reach capacity.
All discharges must be of drinking water quality, he said. They must also be approved in Ottawa.
“This cannot happen unless the federal government allows it.
He said other solutions are being considered, such as decontaminating the water and recycling it back into operations. Other proposed solutions include injecting the water underground.
“Something has to be done,” Guilbeau said. “It’s been neglected long enough.”
Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeau says releasing processed oil sands waste into the environment is not the only solution being considered to clean up toxic lakes in northern Alberta. (Chad Ippolito/The Canadian Press)
Guilbeault said evidence is mounting that the tailings are beginning to contaminate nearby ground and surface water.
Whatever solution is found will have to work on a massive scale. The lakes currently contain about 1.4 trillion liters of contaminated water and continue to grow, hampering efforts to restore the mines.
Guilbeault said Environment Canada is consulting with industry and First Nations.
“The decision will not be made by the industry,” he said.
In a series of tweets, Alberta Environment Minister Whitney Isik said the province had the situation under control.
“Albertans and Canadians should know that the Lower Athabasca oil sands region is one of the most watched and studied regions on the planet,” she wrote.
Documents leaked to the Canadian press earlier this year detailing the results of a survey of provincial environmental monitoring scientists suggest they still don’t believe Alberta has a good idea of the full impact of the oil sands .
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