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FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — Syncrude has pleaded guilty and been fined more than $2.7 million in the deaths of 31 great blue herons at one of its oilsands mines north of Fort McMurray. An agreed statement of facts says Syncrude has admitted that an abandoned sump pond in which the birds were found didn’t have deterrents to keep waterfowl from landing on it, even though the pond met criteria for being high risk. “For a three-month period between May and August of 2015, the external sump met the formal criteria…and presented features making it attractive to birds and other animals,” the statement says. “However, the external sump was not identified in the (pond) list produced by Syncrude for the purposes of monitoring…nor was it addressed pursuant to the (waterfowl protection plan).” The pond at Syncrude’s Mildred Lake mine was at one time more than a kilometre long, 400 metres wide and eight metres deep. Although it had been partially drained and was dry in some years, Syncrude had been unable to completely remediate the pond and it continued to hold liquids, solids and bitumen. The statement says the birds weren’t found until a contract employee stumbled upon them while […]
