Ducks land on Syncrude, Suncor, Shell tailings ponds

[CHIMO]

Source: CBC News


Just hours after the Alberta government announced that ducks had landed on a Syncrude tailings pond, officials said similar incidents had occurred at ponds belonging to Shell and Suncor.

Earlier in the day, the province announced that ducks were discovered on a tailings pond at Syncrude's Mildred Lake facility on Monday night. About 230 birds that had contact with bitumen floating on the surface had to be euthanized, according to Syncrude.

"We are co-operating fully with regulators and are working to minimize waterfowl losses," Scott Sullivan, Syncrude president and CEO, said in a written statement. "This is very unfortunate, especially given the significant efforts we have taken to improve our deterrent system."

The company said the "unusual bird activity" was due to freezing rain in the area, which made it difficult for the birds to fly. The birds that landed on roads and parking lots were easily approached, likely meaning they were fatigued.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/10/26/edmonton-more-ducks-tailings-pond.html

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Tuesday, October 26, 2010 | 5:46 PM MT

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Oh, no! Poor duckies!

[DeSwiss]

2. K&R

This is ridiculous.

[Daemonaquila]

3. NOT unusual - but why tell the truth?

I'm afraid that this is pretty usual. It wouldn't be a story, except that so many ducks landed on the same day that someone took notice. However, even non-waterbirds land on or near these ponds, thinking that it's land or land near clean water. There are tons of these ponds anyplace where there is oil production. They could prevent the deaths very easily, if they covered the ponds. Deterrents don't really work so well, in the first place.

[CHIMO]

4. Obviously

You have not seen the tailings ponds from tar sands.

If there are tons of these ponds everywhere then it seems to me that your environmental linceses aren't worth anything.