 | | | Environmental performance |
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Land
As part of our environmental commitment, the potential impact on land is managed throughout an asset’s lifespan, from design and construction through to operation and decommissioning.
Land reclamation at Cold Lake
We have an ongoing program to reclaim land impacted by the Cold Lake operation. Each year, trees and shrubs are planted to prepare the land for future uses. Since 1985, we have planted 640,000 trees and shrub seedlings. The predominant species planted are white spruce, aspen, jack pine, birch, willow and alder – all indigenous to the region.
Much of the operation’s lease area comprises wetland habitats that support diverse species and vegetation. In 2006, we established a new monitoring program to survey and protect the more than 12,000 hectares of wetlands in the lease. Groundwater wells were installed to measure water levels, and vegetation monitoring plots were established to evaluate the presence and abundance of different plant species. In 2007, we will begin evaluating different methods for reclaiming wetlands at former well sites.
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Land-use agreement for Lynnview Ridge
In mid-2007, Imperial reached an agreement with the City of Calgary on a future land-use and environmental management plan for property in Lynnview Ridge, a Calgary neighbourhood that was the site of an Imperial refinery from the 1920s to the 1970s. Under the agreement, an environmental assessment and land-use plan will be conducted for this land, enabling it to be redeveloped for future community use. Potential uses may include parkland or a golf course. The first phase of this work, expected to be completed in 2009, will include detailed environmental testing of the former refinery lands. To address environmental concerns and carry out a remediation agreement with Alberta Environment, we recently completed a comprehensive remediation program, including soil removal and replacement as well as landscape restoration.
| Cleaning hydrocarbon-impacted soils
We invest in the development of innovative technologies to treat or restore hydrocarbon-impacted soils.
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Since 2001, we have funded a University of Waterloo research study that is testing a technique called “phytoremediation” to safely absorb and biodegrade hydrocarbons in soils. This process takes advantage of the capacity of plants to extract and break down certain compounds. Early tests carried out at Sarnia refinery and the Cold Lake operation suggest that plants may be useful for cleaning hydrocarbon-impacted soil, but more study is needed to determine the selection of plants and the commercial viability of the technology.
We are also partnering with a supplier to remediate hydrocarbon-impacted soils on site. Consisting of a large rotating drum, the technology allows soil particles to be exposed to air, releasing hydrocarbon vapours which are safely captured by a filter and processed. The technology was successfully tested in 2006 at several former oil production sites in Alberta.
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