In their 2012 report ECRB cautioned that oil sands operators failed to convert their tailings ponds into deposits suitable for reclamation in a timely fashion , as proposed in their project applications . " The volume of fluid tailings , and the area required to hold fluid tailings , continued to grow , and the reclamation of tailings ponds was further delayed . " ECRB follows the industry wide directive , Directive 074 , the first of its kind , which sets out the " industry-wide requirements for tailings management , " requiring " operators to commit resources to research , develop , and implement fluid tailings reduction technologies and to commit to tailings management and progressive reclamation as operational priorities that are integrated with mine planning and bitumen production activities . " The Government of Alberta is setting up a Tailings Management Framework to complement and expand Directive 074 's policies to " ensure that fluid fine tailings are reclaimed as quickly as possible and that current inventories are reduced . " On 12 June 2013 the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo after many days of heavy rain , declared a state of emergency . The flood conditions lasted from June 10 – 18 , 2013 . It was the first of many communities to do so in Alberta during the 2013 floods . Wood Buffalo authorities organised evacuations from some areas and placed others in boil water advisories as local waterways , such as the Hangingstone River , rose to dangerously high levels
2013 floods
2013 Alberta floods
Energy Resources Conservation Board