Tar Sand Spill: Water Pollution Risk?

Tar sands are a combination of clay, sand, water, and heavy black viscous oil called bitumen. They are extracted and processed to separate the bitumen, which is then upgraded to synthetic crude oil and refined to make asphalt, gasoline, and jet fuel. The extraction and conversion of tar sands into usable fuel is an expensive and environmentally damaging process that involves strip-mining large areas of land and creating toxic waste and air and water pollution.

Tar sands oil spills pose a significant risk of water pollution. In 2010, a pipeline spill in Michigan's Kalamazoo River involved diluted bitumen from Canada's tar sands region. The spill impacted the water, surrounding vegetation, and wildlife and took years and over $1 billion to clean up. Tar sands oil is thicker and more acidic than conventional crude oil, making it more likely to leak from pipelines. When spilled, the diluents in tar sands oil evaporate, leaving behind a sticky residue that sinks in water and is difficult to clean up. This residue can remain in the environment indefinitely and have negative effects on wildlife and human health.

Tar sands extraction impacts local wildlife and ecosystems

Secondly, tar sands extraction results in the production of large amounts of toxic wastewater, which is stored in vast open-air tailing ponds. These ponds have been linked to increased cancer rates in nearby human populations and harm wildlife, as they can leak into surrounding rivers and water bodies.

Additionally, the extraction and processing of tar sands are water-intensive, with mines using significant amounts of freshwater from nearby rivers, which is often contaminated in the process. This contamination further affects both the aquatic ecosystems and the people and wildlife that depend on clean water sources.

Furthermore, the burning of tar sands oil generates more pollution than regular crude oil, contributing to increased carbon emissions and climate change. This, in turn, can have far-reaching impacts on ecosystems and wildlife, including changes in temperature, precipitation patterns, and habitat availability.

Lastly, the transportation of tar sands oil, particularly through pipelines, poses a significant risk of spills. Due to its heavy and sticky nature, tar sands oil is challenging to clean up, and traditional response methods are often inadequate. Spills can have devastating consequences for local ecosystems and wildlife, as evident in the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill in Michigan, which contaminated the river and affected the surrounding environment.

Tar sands pipelines are prone to leaks and spills

Tar sands oil, also known as diluted bitumen or 'dilbit', is a combination of clay, sand, water, and heavy black viscous oil called bitumen. It has a thick, peanut butter-like consistency, so it must be diluted with a cocktail of other petroleum compounds before it can flow through pumps, tanks, or pipelines for transport. This thinner, more fluid product is called 'dilbit'.

Dilbit has a similar density to water, so it has the potential to sink when spilled. It also undergoes significant changes once in the environment, which is an important consideration for spill response and cleanup. For example, the diluents in dilbit evaporate, leaving behind a tarry goo that sinks in water and is very sticky. This makes most oil recovery methods useless, as they are designed to collect oil from the surface.

The US is crisscrossed by more than four million kilometres of pipelines, many of which are decades old. These pipelines spring hundreds of leaks every year, most of them small. They can fail for a variety of reasons, from being inadvertently struck by a backhoe to the slow but steady weakening from corrosion.

Pipelines carrying dilbit pose a particular risk because they must operate at higher temperatures, which have been linked to increased corrosion. They also have to flow at higher pressures that may contribute to rupture. A study by the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council found that pipelines in the upper Midwest that carry oil from tar sands have spilled 3.6 times more oil per pipeline mile than the US average.

The higher temperatures and pressures may also contribute to rupture or speed up pre-existing corrosion. For example, in 2010, a pipeline in Michigan ruptured and spilled more than 800,000 gallons of heavy tar sands crude into the Kalamazoo River. Five years and more than $1 billion later, the river is still contaminated. The cleanup is the longest and costliest in US history so far.

Tar sands spills are difficult to clean up

In the case of the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill, it took five years and more than $1 billion to clean up. The river is still contaminated. This was the costliest cleanup in U.S. history at the time.

The challenges of cleaning up tar sands spills are exacerbated by the fact that key information about tar sands' chemical and physical properties is often kept confidential by oil companies for competitive reasons. This lack of information makes it difficult for regulators and response organizations to prepare for and address spills effectively.

To improve spill preparedness and response, it is recommended that oil companies disclose the type of oil they are transporting and that spill response plans are tailored to the specific type of oil being transported.

Tar sands spills are more harmful to water resources

The production process wastes enormous quantities of freshwater. For every barrel of tar sands produced, 2.4 barrels of freshwater are used. Companies get the water from rivers, and nearly all of it ends up too contaminated to return. This is already putting the rivers, surrounding wetlands, and the people and wildlife that depend on them at risk.

Mining companies store the toxic, sludgy wastewater left over from tar sands production in vast, open pools. However, these tailing ponds are leaking into rivers, harming wildlife and increasing cancer rates in humans.

Burning tar sands oil creates more pollution than regular crude. Because of its sludgy composition, mining and refining tar sands oil demands a lot of energy. Tar sands generate 17% more carbon emissions than conventional oil.

When tar sands pipelines rupture or tanker cars derail and spill the crude over land and water supplies, it is especially challenging to clean up. Unlike conventional oil, tar sands are heavy, stubborn, and difficult to clean. Traditional response methods don't work. For example, the 2010 spill that sent more than 800,000 gallons of heavy tar sands crude spewing into Michigan's Kalamazoo River. Even five years and more than $1 billion later, the river is still contaminated. The cleanup is the longest and costliest in U.S. history so far.

Exporting tar sands will also put rivers and coastlines at risk of spills. Once the tar sands oil reaches the end of the pipelines, an armada of supertankers and barges will be waiting to haul them away—threatening marine habitats and beaches and crowding iconic waterways, posing a much greater chance of a catastrophic spill.

Tar sands extraction and transport impact human health

Tar sands extraction and transport can have significant impacts on human health. The process of extracting and refining tar sands can result in increased air and water pollution, which can have direct consequences for the health of nearby communities.

Communities living near tar sands mining, drilling operations, pipelines, and refineries are at risk of exposure to elevated levels of toxic pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and methylmercury. These chemicals are known carcinogens and can cause DNA damage, developmental issues, birth defects, organ damage, and neurological problems. Studies have linked the presence of these pollutants in the environment to increased cancer rates and other health issues in affected communities.

The extraction and refining of tar sands require a significant amount of energy, leading to higher carbon emissions compared to conventional oil. This contributes to climate change and can indirectly impact human health through the degradation of the natural environment. Additionally, the vast amounts of toxic wastewater generated during tar sands production are often stored in tailing ponds, which have been found to leak into nearby rivers and water sources, further contaminating the environment and posing risks to human health.

Transporting tar sands crude via pipelines and rail also carries risks. Tar sands crude is thicker and more acidic than conventional crude, increasing the likelihood of pipeline leaks and spills. The cleanup process for tar sands spills is more challenging and costly, as the heavy and stubborn nature of tar sands makes it difficult to remove from land and water supplies. The 2010 spill in Michigan's Kalamazoo River is a notable example, with the river still contaminated years later despite a billion-dollar cleanup effort.

Furthermore, the refining process of tar sands produces hazardous by-products such as petroleum coke (petcoke). Petcoke is a dusty residue that can be carried by the wind and contaminate nearby homes and yards. The dust contains particulate matter and metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and nickel, which are carcinogenic and linked to various health problems when inhaled or ingested.

Overall, the evidence suggests that tar sands extraction and transport pose significant risks to human health, and more comprehensive studies and regulations are needed to protect affected communities and the environment.

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