Tailings Dam Safety

Canadian Natural is committed to dam integrity, monitoring and tailings management to ensure safe, reliable, efficient and effective operations. We follow the leading practices of the Canadian Dam Association for dam safety management. Tailings from our oil sands mining operations are stored in external (out-of-pit) and in-pit tailings facilities. When operations at each facility are completed, each tailings pit will be reclaimed to create a landscape that can support a self-sustaining, locally-common boreal forest ecosystem. 

Our tailings management program is subject to multiple external audits, internal reviews and continuous monitoring. The design, construction and performance of the tailings dams are reviewed twice annually by an Independent Review Board of internationally recognized experts in tailings dam safety. A comprehensive dam safety review is performed every five years by an independent consulting firm.