Alberta Approves Funding for Indigenous-Led Tailings Pond Water Treatment Research

The Alberta government has approved a $4.6 million grant for Indigenous-led research and development of water-treatment solutions to tailings ponds in the oilsands region.

Tũ Nipi Water Solutions, an Indigenous-owned venture, will use the funding to support commercial trials and testing to better treat Oilsands Process-affected Water (OSPW) found in tailings ponds in the Athabasca region of northern Alberta.

The organization's CEO, Ron Quintal, said the goal is not to double down on proposed treat-and-release solutions, but rather to find a path forward that includes Indigenous communities and shares data with them.