GUIDELINE for WETLAND ESTABLISHMENT on RECLAIMED OIL SANDS LEASES Revised (2007) Edition
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GUIDELINE FOR WETLAND ESTABLISHMENT ON RECLAIMED OIL SANDS LEASES Revised (2007) Edition Recommended by the Wetlands and Aquatics Subgroup, Reclamation Working Group, Cumulative Environmental Management Association – Wood Buffalo Region December 2007 Second Edition (Dec 2007) ISBN: 978-0-7785-7697-6 Website: www.environment.alberta.ca Disclaimer: Any mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation for use. Any comments, questions or suggestions on the content of this document may be directed to: Regional Services, Northern Region Alberta Environment #111 Twin Atria Building 4999 – 98 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T6B 2X3 Fax: (780) 427-7824 Additional print copies of this document are available from: Information Centre Alberta Environment Main Floor, Oxbridge Place 9820 – 106 Street Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2J6 Tel: (780) 427-2700 Fax: (780) 422-4086 Outside of Edmonton dial 310-0000 for toll-free connection Email: [email protected] Copyright of this publication, regardless of format, belongs to Her Majesty the Queen in right of the Province of Alberta. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, regardless of purpose, requires the prior written permission of Alberta Environment. © Her Majesty the Queen in right of the Province of Alberta, 2008. This document should be cited as: Alberta Environment. 2008. Guideline for wetland establishment on reclaimed oil sands leases (2nd edition). Prepared by Harris, M.L. of Lorax Environmental for the Wetlands and Aquatics Subgroup of the Reclamation Working Group of the Cumulative Environmental Management Association, Fort McMurray, AB. December 2007. ii Second Edition (Dec 2007) CEMA Reclamation Working Group Wetlands and Aquatics Subgroup Mission Statement Support the creation of a range of sustainable wetlands for oil sand reclamation and restoration of disturbed wetlands in the Athabasca oil sands region, by advancing the development of guidelines Vision Design criteria and performance measurements for created wetlands that are accepted by industry, regulators and stakeholders Title Page Photographs: Right photo: Tower Road natural wetland, Fort McMurray, AB. Courtesy of Kristina Norstrom (Albian Sands) 2005. Left photo: Peat Pond, Syncrude Mildred Lake lease (on saline, sodic overburden landform) – the first reclaimed wetland to use the Guidelines for Wetland Establishment on Reclaimed Oil Sands Leases (2000 [first] edition) during the planning and design phases of construction. Courtesy of Clara Qualizza (Syncrude Canada) 2006. iii Second Edition (Dec 2007) Executive Summary Executive Summary This second edition of the wetlands guideline is an update of the state of knowledge regarding reclamation of wetlands in the oil sands region. It describes an integrated approach to the planning, design, construction, monitoring and adaptive management of reclaimed wetlands. The approach adopted by this guideline is founded on five basic principles: • recognition of the critical function of wetlands in distributing and retaining water on the reclaimed landscape; • recognition of the complex interaction of climate, hydrology, geology, ecology and time on wetlands creation and evolution in the oil sands region; • recognition of the need for inter-disciplinary collaboration and coordination when working toward wetlands reclamation; • recognition that good will, compromise and communication among stakeholders will be invaluable in the pursuit of a complex and dynamic result – healthy, functioning reclaimed wetlands that approximate natural systems as best as current knowledge and capabilities allow; • recognition that best practices will evolve with continued research, monitoring, and adaptive management. Although this edition focuses on reclamation on surface-mined oil sands leases, there is also information provided regarding restoration of altered wetlands on or adjacent to surface-mined leases or on in-situ mine sites. Wetland reclamation is defined as the creation of wetlands on disturbed land where they did not formerly exist or where their previous form has been entirely lost. Wetland restoration is a process of returning wetland function of a remnant wetland site, as it was before disturbance. Wetland reclamation and restoration knowledge from other regions of North America and the world may be used to assist planning teams in the oil sands, but those experiences must be adapted and/or assessed for their applicability to the natural, traditional, industrial and regulatory environments of north-eastern Alberta. Section 3.0 provides these ecological, historical and regulatory contexts to the guidance in the remainder of the document. Wetlands cover approximately half of the natural landscape in the oil sands region, and are, thus, a major component of the undisturbed boreal ecosystem. Wetlands are areas where the land is saturated with water for long enough periods to support wet-adapted processes and plants. They are shallow (≤2 m) with stagnant or slowly moving water. Wetland classes encountered in the oil sands region are bogs, fens, marshes, shallow open water wetlands and swamps. This guideline discusses riparian margins or fully aquatic systems (lakes and streams) only in relation to their interaction with wetlands on the whole reclaimed landscape. Natural boreal wetlands are a critical habitat for many important wildlife species, including woodland caribou, moose, muskrat, beaver, waterfowl (particularly diving ducks) and amphibians. They are linked to the traditional way of life of local Aboriginal people, because of the economic importance of fur-trading and the cultural significance of many wildlife species (moose, muskrat, beaver) and wetland plants (Sphagnum moss, rat root, bog cranberry). Aboriginal knowledge and interpretations of wetland systems are based on long term empirical evidence and have much to contribute to western scientific research findings. 1 Second Edition (Dec 2007) Executive Summary The surface mining of oil sands in north-eastern Alberta produces several landforms and materials that are relevant to wetlands reclamation: • mining excavations produce end-pits, a wide range of gradients and overburden piles; • extraction of bitumen from oil sands produces process-affected tailings containing water, sand, silts, clays, soluble organic chemicals (such as naphthenic acids and hydrocarbons), ammonia, heavy metals and salts; • process-affected materials that cannot be recycled are stored in settling basins (up to tens of square kilometres in surface area), where subsequent settlement and redistribution produces sand edges, mature fine tailings and process-affected water; • upgrading of bitumen to crude oil produces by-products like sulphur and coke that are stockpiled in a retrievable manner; • the mining and extraction processes increase the volume of materials (natural soils and separated soil components like overburden and tailings) by 20-25 % over the initial pre- disturbance volume. These changes fundamentally alter the topography, geochemistry and hydrology of the land. Reclamation must incorporate or accommodate these post-mining elements. The reclamation of these disturbed areas to wetlands requires an awareness of the regulatory and planning policies of the region. These include legislated obligations (Alberta Water Act, Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act [EPEA]), management strategies (‘Water for Life’), regional planning (Regional Sustainable Development Strategy, Fort McMurray regional management plan), and multi-stakeholder strategic planning (the mandate of the Reclamation Working Group of CEMA). A fundamental component of the EPEA is the reclamation objective of returning disturbed landscapes to ‘equivalent land capability’, which is defined as the ability of the land to support various land uses after reclamation that are similar but not necessarily identical to those that existed before mining. Wetlands will play an important functional role in meeting these regulatory requirements of reclaimed landscapes. Reclamation efforts in the oil sands are large-scale, involving whole landscapes or watersheds; thus wetlands created in this context are fundamentally different from many of the wetland projects documented in the published literature. In this guideline, the planning and design of wetlands has been divided into landscape-scale and wetland-scale components. This recognizes that landscape-scale elements and design of uplands reclamation will largely determine what can be achieved at the level of the individual wetland. Guidance on wetlands planning at these two spatial scales is provided in section 4.0. Landscape-scale planning must involve decision sequences that incorporate: the uses and functions required in the reclaimed wetland, wetland placement relative to other landforms, and aerial extent of wetlands in the closure landscape. Guiding recommendations that relate to this level of planning are provided in section 4.1. 2 Second Edition (Dec 2007) Executive Summary Wetlands provide several important uses and functions: • water storage • groundwater recharge • flood control (by detention or depression storage) • storm runoff generation • microclimate regulation • shoreline stabilization • water treatment • carbon storage • Aboriginal cultural use • trapping of fur-bearers • fishing and waterfowl hunting • recreation • wildlife habitat (wetland indicator species are moose, woodland caribou, muskrat, beaver, Canadian toad and ducks). The key limiting landscape-scale