COSIA (Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance) created a committee to develop guidelines for management of fluid fine tailings so that oil sands mines could meet closure requirements.
Dr. John Sobkowicz, a long time geotechnical engineer in oil sands tailings management and Principal with Thurber Engineering, reported on the committee's guidelines.
One of their guideline tools is a flowchart to ensure that the Alberta Energy Regulator and the oil sands mine operators have clear views of performance targets, reporting on progress towards targets and management options pre-built so that interventions are available if performance is not on target.
The guidelines present a clear view of fundamentals that mine operators need to pay attention to. Available from the COSIA website, the guidelines were first presented at the Oil Sands Tailings 2014 Conference, Lake Louise, Alberta, Dec. 9, 2014.