Water Sources & Balances
Nonsaline, saline, produced and recycled water plus water-balance concepts.
Oil sands water management: the full system
Water management connects extraction, steam generation, solids separation, recycling, tailings, groundwater protection, monitoring and eventual reclamation.
Water sources used by oil sands projects
Projects can use nonsaline surface or groundwater, saline groundwater, recycled process water and produced water depending on approvals and technology.
Surface-water withdrawal and river protection
Some mining operations rely on approved surface-water withdrawals within the Athabasca River system.
Why saline groundwater is used
Saline groundwater can substitute for some nonsaline make-up water in oil sands operations.
What “closed-loop” water management means
Closed-loop language usually describes extensive internal reuse rather than a literally sealed system with no inputs or outputs.
Understanding an oil sands water balance
A water balance accounts for where water enters, circulates, accumulates and leaves an operation.