Other Syncrude Tailings Dams
Syncrude Canada Ltd has oilsands mining operations on three lease areas (Mildred Lake, Aurora North and Aurora South), all about 40 km north of Fort McMurray. There are many tailings dams on those leases. The lease that has the greatest number of tailings dams, and the largest tailings dams, is the Mildred Lake lease. The Mildred Lake and Aurora North leases together contain: the Mildred Lake Settling Basin (MLSB), Southwest Sand Storage (SWSS), West In-Pit (WIP), East In-Pit (EIP), Southwest In-Pit (SWIP), Aurora Settling Basin (ASB) and Aurora East Pit Northeast (AEPN-E). Those referred to as “in pit” have only small containing embankments. In Aurora South lease the main tailings dam will be the External Tailings Area (ETA). This doesn’t exist in 2010, construction will start before 2016.
| Site | Facility | Fluid Fine Tails (106 m3) | Water (106 m3) | Total Fluid (106 m3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mildred Lake | MLSB | 196.5 | 13.4 | 209.9 |
| Mildred Lake | SWSS | 46.3 | 10.1 | 56.4 |
| Mildred Lake | WIP | 168.6 | 22.9 | 191.5 |
| Mildred Lake | EIP | 0.1 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| Mildred Lake | SWIP Jr. | 1.2 | 0.3 | 1.5 |
| Mildred Lake | SWIP Major | 13.2 | 28.6 | 41.8 |
| Aurora North | ASB | 76.7 | 48.3 | 125.0 |
| Aurora North | AEPN-E | 0.21 | 0.81 | 1.01 |
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