Fort Hills Oil Sands Project
| Client: | Petro-Canada Oil Sands Inc. |
| Location: | Fort McMurray, Alberta |
| Completion Date: | 2007 - ongoing |
| Project Highlights: | External Tailings Facility Design |
The Fort Hills Project proposes to operate a large oil sands open-pit mining venture located north of Fort McMurray, Alberta. Klohn Crippen Berger Limited (KCBL) designed the external waste storage facility which provides storage for all tailings streams and for waste overburden.
The waste facility is sited on a large sand moraine deposit and the mitigation of seepage from the tailings pond to the surrounding environment is a key design feature. KCBL assessed a variety of mitigation options to manage potential seepage.
The design also involves tailings and overburden impoundment dykes on a clay foundation. The design incorporates several innovative methods to provide long-term, stable containment structures.
The control of surface and interception well waters is facilitated by a network of perimeter ditches and a large seepage collection pond.
Services:
- Seepage mitigation design
- Tailings dam design
- Surface water management design
- Site investigation
- Contract management
- Mine waste dump design
- Mine pit slope stability