Imperial Oil says cleanup efforts at Kearl oilsands site in Northern Alberta to be completed in May

A photo taken from the Kearl site in northern Alberta. Photo: Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.

Imperial Oil Ltd. says its cleanup efforts following recent high-profile wastewater releases from its Kearl oilsands site will be complete next month.

The company has been under fire in recent months for its environmental performance.

Imperial executives said Wednesday that they have completed the cleanup from a wastewater overflow from a containment pond in February, and are well on the way to fully remediating the tailings pond seepage that was discovered last May.

Water tests after those releases confirmed toxic chemicals in local groundwater and at least one nearby water body.

Imperial executives are expected to testify on Thursday before a House of Commons committee that is probing why it took nine months for First Nations and governments to find out what was happening with the company’s wastewater spills.

Also this week, Suncor Energy Inc. reported the release of six million litres of water from a pond at its Fort Hills oilsands mine north of Fort McMurray, Alta., that exceeded guidelines for sediment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2023.