Alberta to explore injecting oilsands tailings deep underground as disposal option

Jack Farrell · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The Alberta authorities says it is considering letting lipid companies inject wastewater heavy underground arsenic a mode to negociate the toxic tailings that are accumulating successful the oilsands.

The thought is 1 of 5 argumentation recommendations being enactment guardant by a government-appointed committee tasked with studying imaginable tailings absorption options.

A caller study from the committee, which was formed implicit a twelvemonth agone and is chaired by United Conservative MLA Tany Yao of Fort McMurray, says injecting excavation h2o underground is simply a applicable solution — but considering implicit 1.4 trillion litres of tailings beryllium arsenic of 2023, it can't beryllium the lone option.

"The accumulation of [oilsands excavation water] represents a absorption challenge, peculiarly successful the lack of established h2o merchandise standards," the study reads.

"This attack helps to mitigate the continued accumulation of [tailings] and provides a buffer portion longer-term h2o absorption strategies are being developed and implemented."

The study doesn't accidental precisely however overmuch of the existing tailings measurement it recommends to beryllium disposed of successful this way, but that "regulated limits should beryllium placed connected the measurement of h2o that tin beryllium injected."

The committee's study says underground disposal of tailings — which are mixtures of water, sand, bitumen residue and chemicals — wouldn't ruin sources of drinking h2o arsenic the wastewater would beryllium disposed of underneath galore layers of impermeable rock.

However, the study says determination are a fig of factors that would marque underground disposal astatine a large standard a costly and lengthy endeavour.

New infrastructure and pipelines would request to beryllium constructed since "there are constricted geologically suitable heavy good disposal sites" adjacent to the oilsands, and if caller underground wells are to beryllium drilled the timeline for support and consultation besides "may not lend towards an accelerated strategy to negociate and trim accumulated [tailings] on the landscape."

The committee — which includes erstwhile Alberta situation curate Lorne Taylor and University of Alberta engineering prof and Canada Research Chair successful sustainable and resilient wastewater attraction for reuse Mohamed Gamal El-Din — besides wrote that this disposal method would beryllium successful nonstop contention with c seizure and retention projects for underground space.

Alienor Rougeot, the elder programme manager of clime and vigor with advocacy radical Environmental Defence, said she's blessed to spot the Alberta authorities admit the urgency of the tailings ponds, but she's skeptical underground disposal is arsenic harmless arsenic the committee is making it retired to be.

"I don't cognize that we are astatine a signifier wherever we could adjacent accidental if we tin safely inject thing down there," she said, adding that immoderate tailings disposed underground would person to beryllium treated completely.

In a missive accompanying the recommendations, Yao wrote that the committee "is satisfied" that exertion exists to dainty and safely merchandise tailings water.

Rougeot said specified a assertion is quality to her.

"If they person a solution to afloat dainty the h2o to a prime that's bully capable to beryllium enactment into the environment, that h2o should beryllium bully capable to beryllium backmost into the accumulation process," she said, noting the committee's study states oilsands mining operations usage astir 220-billion litres of caller h2o each year.

Rougeot said if the authorities is superior astir tackling the occupation of tailings successful the oilsands it should marque a request that companies tin nary longer usage caller h2o successful their mining operations, particularly if the exertion exists to dainty it to a grade that's harmless for biology merchandise arsenic Yao wrote.

"There's much than capable existing tailings volumes to conscionable each the needs of each the accumulation connected a fixed day," she said.

"I privation to spot archetypal a 100 per cent reuse complaint of the existing tailings, and past we tin speech astir disposal."

Another proposal being made by the committee is for Alberta to marque argumentation changes to promote companies to stock wastewater crossed antithetic types of lipid mining facilities successful bid to trim the request for freshwater use, and truthful the accumulation of further tailings.

Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said successful a authorities merchandise Thursday that her ministry volition measure the committee's recommendations implicit the adjacent six months earlier implementing a caller tailings absorption plan.

"We request to commencement uncovering a way to much efficaciously negociate oilsands excavation h2o and tailing ponds," Schulz said.

"Doing thing portion excavation h2o continues accumulating is not a sustainable approach."

NDP situation professional Sarah Elmeligi agreed with Rougeot, saying successful a connection that injecting tailings underground would beryllium "irresponsible due to the fact that we don't cognize the risks progressive to groundwater oregon geological stability."

"Nothing successful these projected methods remotely comes adjacent to addressing aboriginal biology and wellness impacts and we person already seen galore Indigenous communities surviving downstream proceed to woody with these consequences," Elmeligi said.