Oil Sands Clay Fines: Can they be Reclaimed as Productive, Self-Sustaining Wetlands?

The Clark hot water process currently used for extracting bitumen from the Athabasca oil sands results in large
volumes of clay fines containing small amounts of residual bitumen. One possible way of dealing with these fines
is to deposit them in abandoned mine pits and cover them with a layer of natural water. Current field trials in
a series of 2,000 m³ pits indicate that a diverse and productive aquatic community can be maintained in the water
above these fines. This is due to the properties of the fines and the various processes operating at the fines-water
interface. Such water-covered fines would provide suitable habitat for waterfowl.