With the snow melting at Fort McMurray, in Alberta, Canada, the possibility exists of polluting the environment at the Oil-Sand Fields. The melting snow contributes to large volume of water entering the sand pits which then would overflow and this has a catastrophic impact on the Athabasca River which flows along several of the sand pits feeding the aquatic ecosystem of the Mackenzie River Basin. Alberta has had its fair share of pollution in the past and in April 2008 a flock of 500 migrating ducks landed on the tar sands toxic lake and died, resulting in a US$3 million fine to Syncrude, the owner of this toxic tailings pond.

SYNCRUDE Tailings Pond
Oil sands (tar sands or more technically bituminous sands) are a major source of “unconventional oil” and have only recently been considered to be part of the world’s oil reserves. Natural bitumen reserves are estimated at about 250 billion barrels globally of which approximately 70% are in Canada – located in Alberta covering an area of over 140 000 square kilometres, however, about 80% of this occurs along the Athabasca River near Fort McMurray and is considered suitable for surface (strip) mining.

Strip Mining at Fort McMurray

Syncrude started commercial production in 1967 and in 1978 the biggest mine of any type in the world was started – the Mildred Lake Mine site and plant is one of the few man-made structures on earth that is visible from space.
 

HAZLETON PUMPS, a South African Pump Manufacturer,  received an urgent order to manufacture two 250-300M HIPPO Submersible Slurry Pumps at a cost of R 1.5 m each and with the instruction that these pumps, each weighing in excess of 5 Tons, be flown out to Canada to assist in avoiding the threat of pollution.
The pumps were flown out on flight CV 7153 on the 10th April 2013, at a cost of US$49 083.00 by Gargolux Airlines International SA to Calgary Airport, Canada and transported by road from Calgary to Fort McMurray with a total weight of 10 855 kg and occupying a total volume of 18 986 m3.  The pumps are required to operate at a power supply of 4160 Volts; absorbing 350 kW while pumping slurry at a rate of 1 000 m3/h and  a head of 78 m, under temperature conditions varying from -40 oC  in the winter to +30oC in the summer. At present HAZLETON PUMPS is manufacturing two more pumps which will be shipped by sea to Canada before the end of June 2013, while the first two pumps will be shipped back to South Africa for repairs.