This document is intended as a guide for reclamation of In Situ facilities in a peatland environment, specifically pad and road disturbances. Pilot studies conducted in Alberta were carried out by various parties and efforts in order to evaluate the feasibility, cost, and future performance of the reclamation techniques employed, including inversion and complete pad removal.
The guide may be used as a starting point for future reclamation projects, or as a reference for In Situ company managers, regulators, stakeholders and consultants, by following 4 milestones outlining key steps to reclamation of peatland features: Reclamation planning, construction and reclamation material placement, vegetation establishment and site monitoring. The guide assumes that site of interest and reclamation plans comply with current regulation and includes procedures for site treatment and reclamation task lists, special considerations for reclamation planning and decision-trees, as well as characteristic species lists by wetland type.
The objectives of the Guide are:
1. Aid in the preparation of detailed wetland reclamation plans.
2. Provide practical operational guidance for wetland reclamation activities.
3. Provide a framework and structure that enables effective documentation of a wetland reclamation project from start to finish.
4. Provide guidance towards attaining healthy aquatic ecosystems, self-sustaining wetlands, and land function and operability that are a close approximation of natural regional conditions.
5. Support successful reclamation.