Land & Reclamation

Our industry is working hard to lessen our footprint on the land we use, and returning land to a sustainable landscape.

The Issue: Returning the Land to a Sustainable Landscape

There’s no question, from drilling one well to mining for oil sands, oil and gas activity does change the landscape.

The first way we tackle this challenge is to minimize the area of land we use when we start development. We do this by avoiding sensitive habitats, using narrow seismic lines, optimizing the area we need for well sites and working with other users to share roads and pipelines.

When a well is no longer productive, it is abandoned and the land is returned to a sustainable landscape (reclaimed). It takes about five years to fully reclaim the land – from capping the well and removing equipment to cleaning up any chemicals, replacing soil and replanting native vegetation. A government reclamation certificate is issued when the work meets landowner approval and regulated requirements.

For oil sands mines, planning to restore areas is done before the first shovel of earth is moved. Once an area is no longer needed for mining activities, we contour it for drainage, replace topsoil and plant vegetation, trees and shrubs. We then assess the soil and vegetation on an ongoing basis to ensure we’re achieving the goals of the original plan. The first area to be officially certified as fully reclaimed by the Government of Alberta was in early 2008.

Tailings ponds (pits that contain a mixture of water, clay, sand and bitumen produced through mining) are also an important part of the oil sands reclamation process.

Find out more about tailings ponds and the reclamation process

What We’re Doing: Cleaning Up After Ourselves

This "after" photo of Syncrude's Gateway Hill is one
example of how we restore the land we work on.

Canadians expect the oil and gas industry to restore the areas we work in. We are expected to return the land to a sustainable landscape that is equal to or better than how we found it. After all, the land we work on belongs to Canadians – we merely lease it. We’re doing our best to meet these expectations.

Improving our practices

The industry is constantly researching how to make our reclamation practices better. For example, the University of Alberta is conducting a Well Site Restoration Project, funded by industry, to find out how new restoration practices can maintain moisture, nutrients and roots in the soil. Researchers believe that these practices will provide the right conditions for replanting of native evergreens, and natural regrowth of aspen and poplar trees after our wells are gone.

Working with partners

The industry needs to ensure it hears all voices concerned about its effect on the land. One way we do this is by participating in groups like the Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA). CEMA’s members including regional Aboriginal communities, oil sands companies, Alberta and federal government agencies and environmental non-government organizations. CEMA is developing recommendations for government on a regional environmental management system in the oil sands region, including reclamation practices.

Cleaning up no matter what

The oil and gas business is sometimes unpredictable and challenging, and companies can, and do go out of business. However, areas we have worked in still need to be restored. The Orphan Well Association, funded entirely by the oil and gas industry, has been set up in Alberta to ensure old well sites are cleaned up (abandonment). Similar programs also exist in Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

How Did We Do: CAPP's Stewardship Report

From drilling a single well to mining for oil sands, oil and gas activity changes the landscape.

One of the most effective ways to tackle this challenge is to minimize the zone of operations and its impact. We do this by avoiding sensitive habitats, using narrow seismic lines, optimizing the area needed for well sites, and working with other users to share roads and pipelines.

When a well is no longer productive, the land is returned to a sustainable landscape, which may include capping the well and removing equipment, cleaning up contaminants, replacing soil, and re-establishing native vegetation. A government reclamation certificate is issued when the work meets landowner approval and regulated requirements.

In major projects such as oil sands mining, reclamation programs are extensive, and restoration planning occurs well before the first shovel of earth is moved. Once mining is completed, we contour the land for drainage, replace topsoil, and plant vegetation on an ongoing basis to ensure we’re achieving planned goals. Remediation of tailings ponds, which contain a mixture of water, clay, sand and bitumen produced through mining, is a key part of the process.

2009 Stewardship Report
(PDF | 2.7MB | Jan 2010)