| Title | Indicators for assessing transport of oil sands process-affected waters |
| Publication Type | Conference Paper |
| Year of Publication | 2005 |
| Authors | MacKinnon, M., Kampala G., Marsh B., Fedorak P., & Guigard S. |
| Pagination | 9 pages |
| Date Published | 07/2004 |
| Place Published | Waterloo, ON |
| Publication Language | eng |
| Keywords | chemistry, groundwater, hydrogeology, naphthenic acids, Syncrude, UofA, water quality |
| Abstract | In the Athabasca oil sands, bitumen production using caustic warm-water extraction leads to large quantities of fluid tailings. The resulting tailings require storage in above-grade deposits or secure settling basins. Significant changes in groundwater systems occur from disruption during mining or changes in hydrology with tailings deposition. Intentional release into local groundwater systems is not practiced and release by seepage is minimized by engineering means. Waters produced from oil sands processing have unique properties that can be used as indicators of interaction with surface and groundwaters. In this paper, water from an above-grade tailings sand deposit is examined as a recharge into a surface water drainage system. The changes in water properties occurring during seepage of this process-affected water are examined, and analytical tools for better estimating the attenuation processes in receiving aquatic systems are described. |
| Notes | IN: Bringing Groundwater Quality Research to the Watershed Scale. Thompson N.R. (Ed.). Proceedings of GQ2004 the 4th International Groudnwater Quality Conference July 2004 Waterloo Ontario. pp. 71-80. |
| Locational Keywords | Alberta oil sands |
| Active Link | |
| Group | OSEMB |
| Citation Key | 52627 |
