Overview
Pipelines collect, transmit and distribute a variety of liquids and gases in Alberta. Pipeline operators must conserve and reclaim the areas disturbed by pipeline activity.
Specified areas must be returned to equivalent land capability. This means that land can be used for a similar range of activities as before it was disturbed. Pipeline construction can cause significant linear disturbance. Careful planning is crucial to minimize environmental impact and enhance reclamation success.
The Alberta government administers the non-energy activities of pipeline operations throughout their life cycle. This includes conservation, construction, operation and reclamation.
The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) administers pipelines used in upstream oil and gas, coal and oil sands. To learn more about the role of the AER, see: Alberta Energy Regulator.
Reclamation criteria
The Alberta government uses criteria to assess whether land disturbed for pipelines is reclaimed to equivalent land capability. Outcomes are assessed against the criteria used for access roads in Alberta’s upstream oil and gas facilities.
Reclamation criteria are available for the following 4 categories:
- 2010 Reclamation Criteria for Well Sites and Associated Facilities for Cultivated Lands
Updated July 2013 - 2010 Reclamation Criteria for Well Sites and Associated Facilities for Forested Lands
Updated July 2013 - 2010 Reclamation Criteria for Well Sites and Associated Facilities for Native Grasslands
Updated July 2013 - Reclamation Criteria for Well Sites and Associated Facilities for Peatlands
Revised March 2017
Additional guidance
- Guide to the Code of Practice for Pipelines and Telecommunication Lines Crossing a Waterbody, including Guidelines for Complying with the Code of Practice
April 2000, revised April 2001 - Emergency Environmental Protection Orders for Pipelines
C&R IL 97-2 - Environmental Protection Guidelines for Pipelines
C&R IL 94-5 - Green Area No Longer Part of Pipeline Index Calculation for Class I Pipelines
C&R IL 02-3 - Information Requirements for Regulated Pipelines
1988 - Ploughed-In Pipelines
C&R IL 01-4 - Winter Soil Evaluations
C&R IL 92-2
Technical resources
- Best Management Practices for Pipeline Construction in Native Prairie Environments
A guide for minimizing the impact of pipeline construction on the native prairie ecosystem - Guidelines for Alternative Soil Handling Procedures During Pipeline Construction
Prepared for soil-handling sub-committee of the Alberta Pipeline Environmental Steering Committee - Pipeline Abandonment
Canadian Energy Regulator (CER) - Recovery strategies for disturbance in native grasslands
Grassland Restoration Forum