"Canada's oil sands mining industry on Thursday outlined proposals to release treated water from tailings ponds into northern Alberta's Athabasca River, a move environmental groups say risks damaging one of the world's largest freshwater deltas.

Unlike other extractive industries in Canada, oil sands firms are not allowed to release treated tailings water.

New federal regulations, expected to be finalised in 2025, will govern how tailings could be safely drained into the Athabasca, a 1,231 km river that originates in the Canadian Rockies and flows into Lake Athabasca."

Nia Williams reports for Reuters August 18, 2022. [2]