The purpose of the industrial Footprint Reduction Options Group (iFROG) is to develop, fund and implement collaborative boreal wetland research projects that contribute to mitigating impacts to wetlands during operations and increase the knowledge and confidence in wetland reclamation efforts. Find a summary of the project here. 

Guidelines for In Situ Wetland Reclamation on Public Lands

One example of a success that came from the iFROG program includes the creation of two guides (project code: LE0028) that document current knowledge, recent research, and best practices employed in Alberta and abroad for the reclamation of aggregate and borrow excavations for In Situ facilities (guide 1) and peatland reclamation pilot projects conducted in Alberta for the reclamation of In Situ facilities (guide 2). These guides walk through the planning, construction, revegetation, and monitoring of wetland reclamation projects.

1. The Guide for In Situ Reclamation in the Oil Sands Region of Alberta: Reclaiming Aggregate and Borrow Excavations to Water Bodies
2. The Guide for In Situ Reclamation in the Oil Sands Region of Alberta: Reclaiming In Situ Pads and Roads to Peatlands.

The COSIA In-Situ Oil Sands Shared Practices for Working in and Around Wetlands document (project code: LE0038) is a toolbox of shared practices currently in use by COSIA companies, or which have been used but were found to be unsuccessful. It provides an Inventory and evaluation of current practices, including practices related to planning, exploration programs, managing water flow, construction of roads and pads, and erosion and sediment control. Access the full report and factsheets here.

The Assessing the Ecological Potential of Wetlands Surrounding Reclaimed Pads Field Pilot study, (project codes: LE0052; LE0078; LE0083) was proposed in 2018 and completed in 2023. This study contributed to a policy change allowing for in-situ pads to be reclaimed in-place. This is a significant advancement, since clay pad removal is extremely expensive and may have limited ecological gains. Study results showed wellsite pads smaller than one hectare (lacking padded access roads or with thin padding) did not influence the downstream water chemistry of peatlands enough to induce noticeable changes in vegetation. Therefore, in most cases, padded wellsites, without padded access roads, can remain within peatlands with minimal impact. 

This knowledge is key because it decreases reclamation costs by leaving select pads in place. This increases the availability of resources for peatland reclamation where pads need to be removed. The new knowledge gained is also advancing the understanding of reclamation techniques needed to minimize off-pad impacts for pads that are left in place. Findings are being used to develop a decision matrix of ecological criteria and pad characteristics to provide guidance into whether a pad should be removed.

Read about the policy change here: Interim directive : pilot for reclaiming peatlands – decision framework and support tools for reclaiming well sites and access roads on public lands

Since peatlands are so prevalent throughout Northern Alberta, landscape reclamation for post-oil sands mined areas needs to include peat-forming systems. Fen creation for landscape reclamation was first proposed at a reclamation working group meeting in 2003. A conceptual model of a fen and watershed with simple geometry was developed which showed that locally available materials (including tailings sand and peat) could be combined in a way that might support wetland processes. Fen peatlands are commonly located in lower portions of watersheds that receive nearly continuous groundwater inflow. Building on this model and an understanding of the fundamental landscape characteristics of fens, the Nikanotee Fen was successfully created from 2013 to 2016. 

Building on this success, construction of the 57-hectare Sandhill Fen Research Watershed (SFRW) began in 2010. This large-scale pilot fen wetland research program is built on an area hydraulically backfilled with composite tailings. The SFRW research program strives to:

1. Better understand nutrient, carbon, and water balances
2. Inform landform design guidance, especially hummock landform technology
3. Inform wetland reclamation guidance

Now that fen creation is feasible, this research is focusing on establishing a better understanding of the unique set of conditions and plant communities that reclaimed wetlands have, and how to better match them to natural wetland sites in the region. Predicting the future site trajectory of reclaimed wetlands is not yet possible and continued assessment of these changing drivers and the plant responses is ongoing.

Read more via related publications on the Nikanotee Fen (Project code: LJ0098): 

• Suncor Energy Inc – Suncor Nikanotee Fen

• The hydrological functioning of a constructed fen wetland watershed
• Spatiotemporal variations of total and dissolved trace elements and their distributions amongst major colloidal forms along and across the lower Athabasca River
• Hydrology of a Constructed Fen Watershed in a Post-mined Landscape in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta, Canada (PhD Thesis)
• Examining the Ecosystem Evolution of Nikanotee Fen Watershed: An Ecohydrological Perspective (PhD Thesis)
• A temporal snapshot of ecosystem functionality during the initial stages of reclamation of an upland-fen complex
• Constructing fen peatlands in post-mining oil sands landscapes: Challenges and opportunities from a hydrological perspective

Or request access to the original report (titled: Evaluating the Success of Fen Creation: Industry Technology Transfer Manual). This report examines the hydrology, water quality, biogeochemistry, and ecology of the constructed fen in comparison to reference fens.

Read more via related publications on the Sandhill Fen (Project code: LJ0204): 

• Designing Landscapes to Support Peatland Development on Soft Tailings Deposits: Syncrude Canada Ltd.’s Sandhill Fen Research Watershed Initiative
• The use of peat applications and Carex aquatilis for peatland reclamation on post mined landscapes in northern Alberta, Canada
• Design aspects of two fen wetlands constructed for reclamation research in the Athabasca oil sands

Wapisiw Marsh was established in 2010 in the drainage area of the Waisiw Lookout reclamation site, marking it the first oil sands tailings pond to be reclaimed and revegetated (project code: LJ0112). Since its reclamation, Wapisiw has transformed into a mixed wood forest with multiple streams and a small marsh wetland, creating a home for a wide variety of wildlife. This success has set a world-wide precedent for what is achievable in reclamation. Learn more about the reclamation process here: Creation of Wapisiw Lookout (formerly Pond 1) – Suncor Energy 

Each year since 2010, the study continues to collect information on species richness, community composition, and abundance of amphibians, birds, and riparian vegetation. This same information is being collected for eight reference wetlands of various ages and construction characteristics, to assess age-specific effects and interannual variation. This information will help inform how closely the reclaimed wetland matches reference sites.

This program is the result of a partnership between the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), COSIA, member companies, and academic institutions (project code: LE0037). As industry continues to reclaim wetlands, research is required to evaluate the success of these efforts and to guide adaptive management. Reclaiming such complex ecosystems requires a deep understanding of the natural variation of wetlands and ongoing innovation to continue to develop operational best practices. Key focus areas of this program include wetland plant community composition and productivity, wetland surface water dynamics, and patterns in macroinvertebrate community composition. Find a summary of the project here. 

Overall, BWRAP aims to answer the following questions:

1. How can industry best predict the early development, biodiversity, and persistence of wetlands in a reclaimed landscape?
2. What environmental or biological indicators best reflect long-term resilience and/or persistence in young wetlands?
3. What reclamation features will promote young wetlands’ formation, resilience and persistence?

Read more via related publications:

• Backcasting and Forecasting Boreal Wetland Water Balances Using Weather Data in Reclaimed Landscapes (Master’s Thesis)
• Characterizing Hydrological Balance and Hydrochemistry of a Chronosequence of Newly Formed Wetlands within the Athabasca Oil Sands Region using Isotopic and Geochemical Tracers (Master’s Thesis) 
• Website currently under maintenance: https://www.bwrap.org/about/

In the 1990s and 2000s consolidated tailings were used for oil sands tailings management. Reclamation of consolidated tailings presents challenges due to presence of sodium chloride, sodium sulphate salts, naphthenic acids, and residual hydrocarbons. In 1999–2000, a 34-hectare consolidated tailings Demonstration Watershed (project code: LJ0286) was constructed to assess approaches for reclaiming a consolidated tailings landscape. Water quality, soil and vegetation were monitored between 1999 and 2015. Program objectives include:

1. Develop and understand the nature, acceptability, and sustainability of terrestrial and wetland ecosystems in a consolidated tailings reclaimed landscape
2. Have the capability to define end land uses for consolidated tailings reclaimed areas
3. Identify mechanisms and approaches best suited to development of vegetation communities on consolidated tailings landforms
4. Create knowledge transfer fact sheets that highlight key lessons learned and identify practical applications for ongoing reclamation operations.

This project successfully created a wetland habitat on top of consolidated tailings and produced a series of fact sheets that summarize both successful and unsuccessful reclamation practices and the key lessons learned through this program. 

Inquire internally to gain access to the factsheets and annual reports associated with this Suncor project.

Swamp and bog wetland classes make up a large portion of the pre-disturbance landscape, but their reclamation has not yet been attempted in the oil sands industry. The COSIA Swamp & Bog Reclamation Workshop (Project Code: LE0062) was held in February of 2020 with guests from across industry, academia, government and consulting bodies. The workshop aimed to:

1. Establish current state of knowledge regarding swamps and bogs on reclaimed landscapes
2. Identify learnings from natural and constructed systems regarding re-establishment of swamps and bogs in the Alberta OSR
3. Share perspectives and strategies relating to wetland establishment on closure mining or in situ landscapes.

Through this workshop, key speakers agreed that since not all hydrologic conditions can be controlled (precipitation, climate) the main drivers of wetland development in reclaimed landscapes include landscape position and hydrologic regime. They recommended that wetland reclamation goals should focus on creating functioning wetland complexes rather than specific planned wetland types within the reclaimed landscape.

Inquire internally to gain access to the report associated with this Suncor project.