Land reclamation and remediation – Guidelines

Overview

Below is a listing of guidelines for land conservation, reclamation and remediation in Alberta.

These lists are not exhaustive. Users should also search for other regulatory documents for their projects.

For guidelines on upstream energy resource development, visit: Alberta Energy Regulator (AER).

Conservation and reclamation

An alphabetical list of guidelines for land conservation and reclamation can be found below.

A to D

• Alberta Aggregate (Sand and Gravel) Allocation Policy for Commercial Use on Public Land
  SRD 2006
• Alberta Aggregate (Sand and Gravel) Allocation Directive for Commercial Use on Public Land
  Environment and Parks, Public Land Management, 2017, No. 3
• Alberta Regeneration Standards for the Mineable Oil Sands
  Effective May 1, 2013
• Allocation and Sustainable Management of Peat Resources on Public Land
  Environment and Parks, Public Land Management, 2016, No. 9
• Best Management Practices for Conservation of Reclamation Materials in the Mineable Oil Sands Region of Alberta
  Prepared for the Terrestrial Subgroup Best Management Practices Task Group
• Best Management Practices User Manual For Aggregate Operators on Public Lands
  Version 1
• Borrow Excavations
  C&R IL 00-3
• Burial of Material On-Lease
  C&R IL 97-5
• Certification Requirements for Wellsites with No Surface Disturbance (Surveyed Only)
  C&R IL 94-3
• Coal and Oil Sands Exploration Reclamation Requirements
  Environment and Parks, Land Policy, 2015, No. 7
• Conservation and Reclamation Guidelines for Alberta
  C&R IL 9701
• Conservation and Reclamation Notice
  C&R IL 94-2
• Criteria and Indicators Framework for Oil Sands Mine Reclamation Certification
  ESRD 2013
• Disposal of Excess Soil Material from Roadways
  C&R IL 00-10

E to G

• Emergency Environmental Protection Orders for Pipelines
  C&R IL 97-2
• Environmental Protection Guidelines for Oil Production Sites
  C&R IL 02-1, revised January 2002
• Environmental Protection Guidelines for Pipelines
  C&R IL 94-5
• Environmental Protection Guidelines for Pits
  C&R IL 96-5
• Environmental Protection Guidelines for Roadways
  C&R IL 00-5
• Environmental Protection Guidelines for Transmission Lines
  R&R IL 11-03
• Fluid Tailings Management for Oil Sands Mining Projects
  Directive 085, AER
• Foothills Fescue Grassland – Principles for Minimizing Surface Disturbance
  IL 2010-02
• Green Area No Longer Part of Pipeline Index Calculation for Class I Pipelines
  C&R IL 02-3
• Guide to the Code of Practice for Pipelines and Telecommunications Lines Crossing a Water Body
  Including guidelines for complying with the code of practice
• Guide to the Code of Practice for Pits
  AENV 2004
• Guide to the Mine Financial Security Program (PDF, 446 KB)
  MFSP 001, AER
• Guide to Water Act Authorizations Required for Dugouts, Borrow Pits and other types of Pits/Excavations
  ESRD Water Quantity, 2015 No. 2
• Guidelines for Acquiring Surface Material Dispositions on Public Lands
  2008 edition
• Guidelines for Reclamation to Forest Vegetation in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region
  2^nd edition

I to P

• Industrial Activity in the Central Parkland and Northern Fescue Native Grasslands
  Strategies for Minimizing Surface Disturbance
• Industrial Activity in Foothills Fescue Grasslands
  Guidelines for Minimizing Surface Disturbance
• Information Requirements for Regulated Pipelines
  AENV 1998
• Land Capability Classification System for Forest Ecosystems in the Oil Sands
  3^rd Edition, Vol. 1: Field Manual for Land Capability Determination
• Management of Wood Chips on Public Land
  ID 2009-01
• Mine Financial Security Program Standard (PDF, 607 KB)
  MFSP 002, AER
• Native Prairie Protocol for reclamation certification of salt-affected wellsites
• Operating a Pit
  C&R IL 98-2
• Ploughed-in Pipelines
  C&R IL 01-4
• Principles, Guidelines, and Tools for all Industrial Activity in Native Grasslands in the Prairie and Parkland Landscapes of Alberta
  Principles for Minimizing Surface Disturbance
• Problem Introduced Forages on Prairie & Parkland Reclamation Sites
  R&R 03-5
• Professional Declaration Requirements – Reclamation Certificates
  R&R 12-05
• Progressive Reclamation and Interim Clean Up
  SD 2010-02

R to W

• Reclamation Criteria for Abandoned Railways
  C&R IL 96-3
• 2010 Reclamation Criteria for Wellsites and Associated Facilities for Cultivated Lands
  Updated July 2013
• 2010 Reclamation Criteria for Wellsites and Associated Facilities for Forested Lands
  Updated July 2013
• 2010 Reclamation Criteria for Wellsites and Associated Facilities for Native Grasslands
  Updated July 2013
• Reclamation Criteria for Wellsites and Associated Facilities for Peatlands
  Revised March 2017
• Reclamation Practices and Criteria for Powerlines
• Requirements for Conservation and Reclamation Plans for Peat Operations in Alberta Policy
  Environment and Parks, Land & Policy, 2016 No. 7
• Revegetation Using Native Plant Materials – Guidelines for Industrial Development Sites
  R&R 03-3
• Sites Reclaimed Using Natural Recovery Methods – Guidance on Site Assessment
  R&R 03-6
• Siting an Upstream Oil and Gas Site in an Environmentally Sensitive Area on Private Land
  R&R 03-2
• Soil Quality Criteria Relative to Disturbance and Reclamation
  Revised, Alberta Agriculture
• Supplemental Guidelines for Aggregate Operations
  Woodlands area - Athabasca River Valley
• Tailings Management Framework for the Mineable Athabasca Oil Sands
  Lower Athabasca Region
• Third Party Impact on Reclamation
  C&R IL 97-4
• Voluntary Shut Down Criteria for Construction Activity or Operations
  C&R IL 98-4
• Weed Management on Industrial Sites
  R&R 12-01
• Well Site Construction – Guidelines for No-Strip and Reduced Disturbance
  R&R 03-7
• Winter Soil Evaluations
  C&R IL 92-2

Remediation

An alphabetical list of guidelines for contaminant management and remediation can be found below.

A to E

• Alberta Environmental Site Assessment Standard
  ESAs
• Alberta Exposure Control Guide
  Environment and Parks, Land Policy, 2016, No. 6
• Alberta Risk Management Plan Guide and Alberta Risk Management Plan Checklist (PDF, 327 KB)
  Environment and Parks, Land Policy, 2017, No. 2
• Alberta Tier 1 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines
  Environment and Parks, Land Policy, 2019, No. 1
• Alberta Tier 2 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines
  Environment and Parks, Land Policy, 2019, No. 2
• BIC Scale for Delineating Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Organic Soils and Compost Guide
  Environment and Parks Land Policy 2018-1
• Contaminated Sites Management – Subsoil Salinity Tool
  Factsheet
• Contaminated Sites Policy Framework
  ESRD 2014
• Directive for Monitoring the Impact of Sulphur Dust on Soils
  Environment and Parks, Land Policy, 2015, No. 3

F to I

• Field Preservation of Volatile Compounds with Methanol
  Environment and Parks 2017
• Guide to Content for Industrial Approval Applications
  Under EPEA
• Guide to Excluding the Domestic Use Aquifer based on Municipal Bylaws
  Environment and Parks, Land Policy 2022, No.2
• Guide to Remediation Certificates for Contaminated Sites
  Open Government record also Remediation Certificates Contaminated Sites – Factsheet.
  ESRD 2012
• Guide to Remediation Certificates for Upstream Oil & Gas Sites
  Open Government record also includes Remediation Certificates Upstream Oil and Gas Sites – Factsheet.
  ESRD 2012
• Guidance for Selecting Toxicity Reference Values for Alberta Tier 1 and Tier 2 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines
  Environment and Parks, Land Policy, 2017, No. 1
• Guidelines for the Application of Municipal Wastewater Sludges to Agricultural Lands
  First published in 1982
• Guidelines for the Designation of Contaminated Sites
  Under the EPEA
• Guidelines for Landfill Disposal of Sulphur Waste and Remediation of Sulphur Containing Soils
  Effective September 12, 2011
• Guidelines for Municipal Wastewater Irrigation
  AENV 2000
• Guidance Manual for Environmental Site Characterization in Support of
  Environmental and Human Health Risk Assessment (PDF, 1.5 MB)
  Volume 4: Analytical Methods, CCME
• Industrial Release Limits Policy
  AENV 2000

R to S

• Record of Site Condition Form - Factsheet
  R&R 09-02
• Record of Site Condition User Guide
  RSC user guide
• Soil Monitoring Directive
  Open Government record also includes Soil Monitoring Directive – Factsheet.
  AENV 2009
• Soil Remediation Guidelines for Barite – Factsheet
  R&R 09-01
• Soil Remediation Guidelines for Boron
  Open Government record also includes Supplemental Data Appendices.
• Standards and Guidelines for the Land Application of Mechanical Pulp Mill Sludge to Agricultural Land
  AENV 1999
• Standards and Guidelines for the Use of Wood Ash as a Liming Material for Agricultural Soils
  AENV 2002
• Supplemental Guidance on Site-Specific Risk Assessments in Alberta
  Environment and Parks, Land Policy, 2022, No.3