Progressive Land Reclamation as the Design-and-Operational Basis for the Kearl Oil-Sands Mine

Abstract

Summary Development of the oil sands in northeastern Alberta is an important contributor to the economies of both Alberta and Canada, but this type of hydrocarbon resource is often perceived by some as representing daunting environmental challenges. One particular area of stakeholder focus is the nature of the surface-land footprint associated with mineable oil-sands developments. This paper provides the facts and context of progressive reclamation in Canada's mineable oil-sands industry with a focus on the Kearl Oil-Sands Mine (Kearl) operated by Imperial Oil Resources Ventures Limited (Imperial). It demonstrates how progressive land reclamation has been integrated into the mine-planning process for Kearl from the outset of project planning and how the soil, overburden, groundwater, surface water, vegetation, and wildlife resources are considered throughout the life of the mine from a reclamation perspective. Nearly 22 000 ha of land will be disturbed during 40+ years of operation of the Kearl. Imperial is committed to progressive reclamation of the disturbed land throughout the life of the mine. As part of Kearl's long-term vision for reclamation success, Imperial is currently salvaging, segregating, and storing soil, and collecting and banking native seeds so that these valuable reclamation materials are readily available in the future. Ongoing mine-closure planning and the integration of progressive reclamation from the outset of the mine-planning process have identified opportunities, vulnerabilities, and technical constraints to mine closure.