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Syncrude is committed to ensuring that the land disturbed by our operation is returned to a stable, safe condition capable of supporting biologically self-sustaining communities of plants and animals. Our long-term vision is to create a landscape that sustains an integrated mosaic of land uses that meet stakeholder expectations.
Toward this, Syncrude has plans in place for closure and reclamation of its Mildred Lake and Aurora mine sites that meet the conditions and expectations contained in our operating approvals.
Field execution of these plans starts with design and construction of stable landforms, including surface drainage features that in the future will be valleys and streams. During 2003, Syncrude applied its internal design tools to the development of such features at both the Mildred Lake and Aurora sites, and constructed water-ways comparable to those found naturally in the region.
At the end of 2003, total land disturbance on Syncrude’s sites was 18,335 hectares. This represents an increase from 2002, and is due to the ongoing removal of overburden from the mine sites in preparation for ore mining, and the placement of the overburden near the mine pit.
The net area achieving the “permanently reclaimed” standard for reporting to the Alberta government was 187 hectares in 2003, bringing to 3,402 hectares the total net land reclaimed since 1978. Syncrude also completed considerable preparatory work in support of our 2004 target of placing reclamation material on 300 hectares.
Reforestation during 2003 included the planting of 315,000 tree and shrub seedlings on 240 hectares, bringing to 2,835,000 the total of trees and shrubs planted since 1978. Direct 2003 expenditures on reforestation and other reclamation programs was about $10 million.
Thorough monitoring of all reclamation areas allows Syncrude to track and compare our performance to design intent and also provides the database for reclamation certification, which is the formal testing of reclamation success against government standards.
Toward excellence in reclamation practices, Syncrude’s ongoing reclamation research has evolved to emphasize integrated programs within watersheds that are intensively instrumented and monitored. We now have established such watersheds on two of the major substrates on which reclamation material will eventually be placed, and two more will be established by 2005. This approach leads to cross-fertilization between research disciplines as well as better, more integrated insights from research findings. As part of these efforts, Syncrude routinely collects information on soil and vegetation development, drainage feature performance, and wildlife habitat development.
Terrestrial Effects Monitoring
The Wood Buffalo Environmental Association is responsible for the collection and reporting of data regarding terrestrial environmental effects through the Association’s Terrestrial Environmental Effects Monitoring Program (TEEM). The current focus of the program is assessment of soil acidification, which is caused by the deposition of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. If the deposition of these compounds exceeds the neutralizing capacity of the natural ecosystem, effects to soil and vegetation can result. In an effort to better understand any potential effects, a program to monitor the health of acid sensitive soils and the Jack Pine trees growing on these soils was established in 1998. The program involves periodic measurement of soil chemistry and tree growth at 10 permanent sites along a gradient from high to low acidic deposition. Five additional monitoring sites will be added in 2004. At the time the plots were established in 1988 there were no significant effects of acidic deposition on either soil chemistry or tree growth.
A study to assess trace mineral concentrations in traditionally used country foods and medicines was undertaken on lands around the communities of Fort McKay and Fort Chipewyan. However, the research program design did not allow for meaningful statistical assessment, so further sampling is being conducted. Initial results are expected in 2004 and will be communicated to residents of Fort McKay and Fort Chipewyan.
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