thats_because_in_the_late_90s_oil_prices
the_average_dump_truck_driver_makes_about_55_an_hour_plus_overtime_working_the_mines
the_companies_out_here_all_have_their_own_landfills
the_conveyors_take_the_sand_to_be_conditioned_the_first_step_in_separating_it_from_the_oil
the_gravel_mine_produces_its_own_uniquely_colored_pools_of_water
the_oil_sands_with_its_up_to_2_trillion_barrels_of_oil_sitting_in_the_ground_is_a_complex_place
the_ponds_are_vast_and_some_look_more_like_lakes
the_sand_and_water_mixture_in_the_middle_is_pumped_to_open_storage_areas_called_tailings_ponds
the_solids_left_behind_will_be_used_to_reclaim_the_land_as_the_operation_moves_on
the_sulfur_would_normally_then_be_sold
the_surface_chemicals_are_skimmed_across_the_surface_using_floating_lines_like_those_used_in_oil_spills
then_everything_is_exposed_to_hot_high_pressure_gas_that_removes_even_more_impurities_like_sulfur
then_they_scrape_away_the_shallow_layer_of_leafy_peaty_topsoil_called_muskeg
there_are_fleets_of_trucks__its_place_at_5million_apiece_they_are_not_cheap
this_clarified_water_is_supposed_to_provide_90_percent_of_what_the_oil_companies_need_to_start_all_over_again
this_is_how_the_oil_sands_have_been_harvested_since_1967
this_is_syncrudes_mildred_lake_plant_along_route_63
this_is_what_one_pond_looks_like_on_the_ground
page 3 of 4