Releasing oil sands tailings into rivers is just one of several options.

Releasing treated oil sands tailings into the environment is not the only solution being considered to clean up a large toxic pond in northern Alberta , says Federal Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeau.

Guilbeault said Wednesday that his government is developing regulations on how tailings can be discharged into the Athabasca River, but other solutions are under consideration.

"We never said this was the only solution we had in mind," he said. "We have not ruled out the possibility of finding a technical solution to thetailings pondproblem." It was issued when UNESCO investigators arrived in Alberta to consider the Investigators will assess whether federal and state efforts to stem environmental degradation in the park are sufficient to prevent United Nations agencies from placing the park on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger It is supposed to be

One of these threats is the Athabasca River, which flows into the park and borders the vast freshwater delta it protects. It is a tailings pond.

READ MORE: UNESCO team to determine whether Alberta's Wood Buffalo National Park should be placed on the endangered species list

Alberta and the federal government have already decided that treating the water and releasing it into the river is the way to go.

"Some say the only solution is to decontaminate the water and release it into the river. We certainly don't think of it as cash," he said. .

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The government found that the best answer was to release the treated water. Developing regulations will take time, and Guilbeau said he needs some preparation by 2025 when the current ponds run out of capacity.

Any release, he said, must be drinking water quality. It also needs to be approved in Ottawa.

"Unless the federal government allows it."

He said a solution was being considered. Other proposed solutions include injecting water underground.

"We must do something," Guilbeau said. "This has not been addressed for a long time."

Guilbeault said there was growing evidence that the tailings were beginning to contaminate nearby groundwater and surface water.

READ MORE: Leaking oil sands tailings pond in Canada. Federal Enforcement Unknown: Report

Whatever solution is found must work at scale. Reservoirs currently hold about 1.4 trillion liters of contaminated water, and the volume continues to grow, hampering efforts to reclaim the mine.

Guilbeault said Environment Canada is consulting with industry and indigenous peoples.

"Solutions are not dictated by the industry," he said.

In a series of tweets, Alberta Environment Minister Whitney Isik said the province was aware of the situation.

"Albertans and Canadians need to know that the Lower Her Athabasca Her Oil Sands region is her one of the most monitored and studied areas on the planet." she writes.

Documents leaked to the Canadian Press earlier this year describe the findings of a survey conducted against the state's environmental monitoring scientists. and are well aware of the overall impact of the oil sands suggesting they still do not believe Alberta.

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