Wetlands are low-lying areas of land covered by water for periods of time long enough to support aquatic plants and wildlife as part of their life cycle. Wetlands are vital to the sustainability of ecosystems as they filter water, store carbon, recharge groundwater, protect biological diversity and act as flood protection.

THE OIL AND NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY AND CANADA’S WETLANDSCanada’s oil sands lie under 142,000 km2 of land. The current active mining footprint is 904 km2, about the size of Calgary. Since wetlands cover about 50 per cent of the oil sands region, some of the land currently affected is classified as wetlands.

Canada’s oil and natural gas industry is committed to reducing its footprint, reclaiming all land affected by operations in a timely manner and maintaining biodiversity. The Alberta Wetland Policy is in effect province-wide. The policy minimizes the loss and degradation of wetlands, while allowing for continued growth and economic development in the province.

CANADA’S WETLANDS

ENVIRONMENT

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Photo courtesy of: Syncrude

In Alberta, about 20 per cent of the province is covered by wetlands.

OIL SANDS LAND AREA

0–5% 6–25% 26–50% 51–75% 76–100%

Source: Government of Alberta, 2016

Source: Canadian Geographic

ALBERTA

PEACE RIVER AREA

ATHABASCA AREA

COLD LAKE AREA

SASKATCHEWAN

Oil Sands DepositsActive Mining Footprint

PERCENTAGE COVER OF WETLANDS

ENVIRONMENT

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WETLAND RECLAMATION RESEARCHOil sands companies are collaborating to minimize the footprint of current and planned operations and to advance the understanding of wetland reclamation.

Current efforts include:

• Contribution of funding and trial locations for regional collaborative research on wetlands reclamation;

• Partial pad removal for wetland reclamation, including site prep to compact peat and re-establish hydrology: and

• Use of native plant seeds to establish wetland plants at reclaimed sites.

INDUSTRY IN ACTIONCanada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) is an alliance of oil sands producers focused on accelerating the pace of improvement in environmental performance in Canada’s oil sands through collaborative action and innovation.

www.cosia.ca

NIKANOTEE FEN In 2013, Suncor Energy, with the help of Joint Industry Project (JIP) partners Imperial Oil Limited and Shell Canada, completed the Nikanotee Fen. Fens, unlike other peat-forming wetlands, are fed primarily by groundwater rather than surface water, so in order to construct a fen, the groundwater system needs to lie at or just below the surface. Suncor constructed the watershed to supply the fen with groundwater using materials available on the mine site.

SYNCRUDE SANDHILL FEN RESEARCH WATERSHED Syncrude developed the project as part of a research watershed that covers 52 hectares of sand-capped soft tailings. Scientists introduced a variety of wetland plants throughout the fen and planted more than 100,000 trees and shrubs on the uplands surrounding the project. Additionally, a number of native plants have successfully taken seed and are growing on their own. Syncrude completed construction in 2012 and will closely monitor its progress over the next 10-20 years. This project has demonstrated the first constructed fen watershed in the world.

FOREST WATERSHED AND RIPARIAN DISTURBANCE (FORWARD) PROJECTThe FORWARD Project is a collaboration between 10 cross-industry partners and was initiated in 2001 to study water quality impacts and recovery following watershed disturbance in the boreal forest. Now in its third phase, FORWARD continues to assess recovery of reclaimed oil sands mine sites. The data collected by the FORWARD Project has been used to improve forest management practices and improve modelling in the boreal forest, which can be used in forest management planning.

To learn about more about wetland reclamation research visit www.cosia.ca

Alberta’s wetlands host about 400 species of plants.