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Syncrude turning tailings into lakes

Syncrude is hoping to turn the byproducts from its mining operations into lakes.

They recently showcased their water-capping technology, where the wet clay left over from mining is covered with a layer of fresh water.

Syncrude has experimented with it in seven test ponds since 1989.

“About a year after they were constructed,” explains Warren Zubot, Senior Research Engineer, “rainbow trout were put into these ponds, and they lived.”

“After maybe four or five years, it really started to green up,” he said. “The plants just root right into it, just like they would normal soil.”

“You can look at this and see mother nature is slowly but surely reclaiming it.”

The technology was showcased as part of last week’s Oil Sands Tailings Consortium media tour.