Fingers are being pointed after about 500 ducks were found dead or dying in a toxic tailings pond belonging to oilsands giant Syncrude Canada Ltd.
CTV Edmonton's Joel Gotlib said Wednesday that it's the worst such incident in the history of northern Alberta's oilsands.
Environmentalists are furious, governments are demanding answers and Syncrude -- located about 40 kilometres north of Fort McMurray -- is scrambling to contain the damage, he said.
The tailings ponds are formed during the oilsands extraction process, Miles Kitagawa of the Alberta Toxics Watch Society said.
"Syncrude utilizes something called the Clark hot water process, where they crush bitumen-containing oil, mix it with heated water and use that to separate the bitumen out of the ore," he said.
The leftover water is dumped in the tailings ponds, which contain a mixture of clay, sand water and hydrocarbons, he said.
Drinking a glass of water from a tailings pond would be like drinking a diluted glass of oil or gasoline, Kitagawa said.
The ponds are supposed to have measures in place that keep migrating waterfowl from landing on the ponds, such as scarecrows and noisemakers.
Rescue efforts underway
Three poisoned birds were flown to Edmonton early Tuesday by Syncrude. The ducks were initially taken to a downtown emergency veterinary hospital for an initial check-up and then transferred to the Wildlife Life Rehabilitation Society of Edmonton.
Another two birds were captured by Syncrude Tuesday and will eventually make their way to the rehabilitation centre as well.
Steven Gaudet, manager of environmental services for Syncrude, said the sonic canons had been deployed at all the company's other tailings ponds, but were delayed in the Aurora settling basin because of extreme winter weather conditions in the region last week.
"We've had a long-standing bird-deterrent program with great success for over two decades," he said. "With that program, we've never seen an incident like this."
This is the first time such a large flock of birds has been affected in Syncrude's 30-year history, he said, adding the company estimates that 400 to 500 birds are affected.
Gaudet said only five birds were rescued from the pond. The majority of the other 400-plus birds likely drowned or are avoiding humans who try to come near.
"In our initial response, we collected as many as we found," he said. "Bitumen-soaked waterfowl would likely sink in the pond."
In statement released on Tuesday, Alberta Environment said: "Under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA), Alberta requires that Syncrude have a waterfowl protection plan in place that includes a comprehensive bird deterrent program for all tailings ponds.
"If Syncrude did not comply, the Alberta government will take action, with penalties up to $1 million."
Environment Canada has said it will work in conjunction with the provincial department.
Migratory birds are a federal responsibility, and Alberta Environment noted that hundreds of thousands of waterfowl pass through northeastern Alberta each spring and fall.
Alberta's Premier Ed Stelmach said he was concerned the company didn't report Monday's incident, noting the government found out about the incident from a tipster.
"If something has happened of this sort, then we feel that the company is obligated to report to the minister of the environment," he said. "It's a condition of the licence."
Oilsands under attack
Greenpeace Canada said Tuesday that this incident, is another example of the deadly implications of Alberta's rampant tarsands development.
"It leaves questions open about in terms of how many other incidents have there been that have gone unreported," said spokesman Mike Hudema. "How many spills, how many accidents that have gone unmentioned."
Environmentalists have been pushing for a moratorium on oilsands development for a number of reasons, such as:
- The social impacts of rapid development
- Harm to the northern boreal forest
- The contribution of emissions caused by oilsands production to global warming and climate change
The waterfowl crisis comes as Ron Stevens, Alberta's deputy premier, is lobbying U.S. lawmakers to exclude the oilsands from a "dirty" oil law.
Stelmach decisively won re-election earlier this year and campaigned on a policy of letting the market decide the pace of oilsands development.
He has also committed his province to greenhouse gas reductions targets that many have criticized as inadequate and weak.
A week ago, protesters dropped from the ceiling at the annual premier's dinner.
"Stelmach, the best premier oil money can buy," read a large banner with a prominent Greenpeace logo. "Stop the tarsands!"
Stelmach told his audience that he would be travelling to Europe and southern California this year to sell the message that oilsands development is proceeding in a responsible way.
We cannot sit back and let others damage our reputation and give the world a false picture of Alberta," Stelmach said.
The Alberta Liberal party said the incident's timing is ironic, coming as Stelmach gets ready to launch a $25-million public relations campaign to improve the oilsands' image.
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