Growth of the Tarpits

These maps have been updated with the announcement of more open pit tar sands projects. Click here to view the new updated maps.

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The purpose of these maps is to show the growth of the tarpits between the years 2006 and 2030. This is the first time such detailed maps of all the current and future tarpits have ever been made available to the public. It seems that neither industry nor government wants the public to see the combined (cumulative) area covered by all the existing, approved, proposed, and forecast tarpits.

The maps show only the physical footprint, which is defined as the area where natural tree, plant, or water cover has been removed and replaced by open-pit mines, tailings ponds, roads, or other industrial buildings/structures. The maps do not yet show the additional "ecological" footprint of the tarpits on wildlife, fish, air, water, and human health. The maps also do not yet show the rapidly dropping water levels in the Athabasca River, the need for much more natural gas from the arctic, or the dramatically increased greenhouse gas pollution if the tarpits are allowed to continue to grow. Although industry claims that the land will be reclaimed, despite forty years of tar sands production starting in 1967 not a single acre has yet been officially certified as reclaimed. Also, no one anywhere has ever successfully reclaimed such a profoundly damaged landscape to its original natural state.

Map #1 shows a Landsat satellite image from April 23, 2006 with the "Mineable Oil Sands" boundary outlined in purple and the study area within which the physical footprint was calculated outlined in black. [for full text click on map image].	Map #2 shows the existing physical footprint of the tarpits on April 23, 2006 in dark red as identified and extracted from the Landsat satellite image. [for full text click on map image].
Map #3 shows the existing physical footprint of the tarpits in dark red combined with the projects that were approved up to June 2007 by the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board in red. [for full text click on map image].	Map #4 shows the existing physical footprint of the tarpits in dark red, the approved tarpit projects in red, combined with the TOTAL/Deer Creek Joslyn Mine project application in light red and the Suncor Voyageur South public disclosure in pink. [for full text click on map image].
Map #5 shows the existing physical footprint of the tarpits in dark red, the approved tarpits in red, the tarpit applications in light red and pink combined with the forecast tarpit expansion to 2030 in light pink. [for full text click on map image].	Map #6 shows the existing physical footprint of the tarpits in dark red, the approved tarpits in red, the tarpit applications in light red and pink, and the forecast to the year 2030 by industry and the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board in light pink. [for full text click on map image].