water polluted in extraction process

The study says that strip mining in the oilsands requires two to 4.5 cubic metres of water to extract one cubic metre of synthetic crude oil.

The water becomes heavily polluted in the process and only 10 per cent is returned to the river, with the rest held in huge storage ponds that are among the largest manmade structures on Earth.

"These environmental damages related to bitumen production … could eventually affect an area about one-fifth the size of Alberta, or about the size of England or Greece, since this is the extent of the deposits," the study says.

Saskatchewan stands to be especially affected.

"Saskatchewan borders on Lake Athabasca affected by Athabasca and Peace River flows. In view of increasing withdrawals of water in Alberta, combined with the effects of climate change, a firm agreement between the provincial and territorial governments is urgent," the study says.

It recommends a moratorium on further oilsands projects until the water problems can be solved.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2006/11/13/oilsands-water.html#skip300x250

Alberta’s Oil Sands: Key Issues and Impacts

Northern Alberta’s oil sands are increasingly becoming a source of political conflict, both domestically and globally, as scrutiny of the world’s second-largest known oil reserve intensifies. While recent production in the oil sands has driven rapid economic growth in Alberta, there is increasing concern that this growth is causing unprecedented ecological harm. Major environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs), such as Greenpeace and the Pembina Institute, and local First Nations have begun to call for a moratorium on new oil sands projects until associated environmental destruction can be mitigated. At the same time, prominent political observers, such as former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, have argued publicly that development in the oil sands is proceeding at a rate that is not economically and socially beneficial for Alberta. As the primary regulatory body responsible for the oil sands, the Alberta government is responsible for shaping most of the economic, social and environmental policies that guide oil sands development. Numerous complex and divisive policy problems that all demand resolution compete for the government’s attention. The provincial government, however, has remained generally hostile to any calls for a slowdown in oil sands growth.

This article provides an overview of the major environmental, social, and economic policy problems that figure prominently in the debate over the future of oil sands development.