Enhanced geomorphic design for reclamation of rural waste-scapes

Abstract

Many inventive concepts for the adaptive re-use of waste landscapes, or waste-scapes, have been proposed and constructed in the last decade. These are often located near or within large, urban populations, which provide much of the incentive for adaptive re-use. A different challenge presents itself when a waste-scape is rurally located, near a small-though equally important-population. How do we address complex socio-cultural, economic, and environmental objectives without the economic incentive provided by a large nearby population? This project looks at the mineable oil sands region of northern Alberta, Canada: a rural waste-scape covering 895 km2 in Canada’s boreal forest. Specifically, this project discusses the geomorphology and native substrate of northern Alberta, juxtaposed with the traditional design of waste storage landforms, in order to show that there are no natural analogues in the region. A geomorphic approach to the design of waste-scapes in this region has been developed using a Landscape Evolution Model (LEM) for long-term projections, and is being tested in the region. This project sheds new light on the rarely acknowledged issue of waste design in rural areas and the wide range of benefits achieved through use of an enhanced geomorphic design approach.