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Tailings & Mine Water
Fluid tailings, Directive 085, dewatering, pond water quality and the 2026 mine-water policy process.
Tailings water and fluid tailings
Mine tailings contain water, sand, clay, residual bitumen and dissolved constituents after extraction.
Directive 085 and tailings management
AER Directive 085 implements Alberta’s Tailings Management Framework for mineable oil sands.
Tailings dewatering technologies
Operators use different treatment approaches to accelerate water release and improve the strength of fine tailings.
Tailings-pond water quality monitoring
Tailings surface water is characterized because chemistry affects reuse, treatment and reclamation planning.
Oil sands mine-water management in 2026
Alberta is developing a longer-term approach to accumulated oil sands mine water and tailings-pond reclamation.