Comment: Modern uranium mining at work and when the miners says uranium mining is safe, do not believe them! No to uranium mining and milling!
February 9, 2010
tony serve
Environmental regulators for the office of the Supervising Scientist admitted to a Senate Estimates committee today that water with uranium concentrations
5400 times background and a cocktail of other radionuclides are seeping from beneath the tailings dam at the Ranger Uranium Mine in Kakadu National Park.
The Office of the Supervising Scientist acknowledged to Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam that the contamination was occurring, and said that the estimated amount of 100,000 litres per day was based on modelling and not measurement.
"The biggest surprise is that despite knowing about this leakage for years, the regulators don’t know how much is seeping, where it is going, or how highly contaminated it is.
The regulator suggested that directly sampling this contaminated water would be ‘impractical.’ I suggest that it is now essential."
"The regulator also admitted it would be impossible to completely rehabilitate the site, suggesting instead it would be cleaned up to some undefined ‘reasonable’ standard.
"The mining company ERA booked a 2009 profit in excess of $270 million dollars, and yet the regulator won’t compel them to undertake any water quality sampling under the tailings dam. That has to change."
Note: Uranium is only one of a number of radioactive elements present in the tailings dam – a more complete list is shown below.
Symbol Element Radiation Half-Life Decay Product
U-238 Uranium-238 alpha 4,460,000,000 years Th-234
Th-234 Thorium-234 beta 24.1 days Pa-234
Pa-234 Protactinium-234 beta 1.17 minutes U-234
U-234 Uranium-234 alpha 247,000 years Th-230
Th-230 Thorium-230 alpha 80,000 years Ra-226
Ra-226 Radium-226 alpha 1,602 years Rn-222
Rn-222 Radon-222 alpha 3.82 days Po-218
Po-218 Polonium-218 alpha 3.05 minutes Pb-214
Pb-214 Lead-214 beta 27 minutes Bi-214
Bi-214 Bismuth-214 beta 19.7 minutes Po-214
Po-214 Polonium-214 alpha 1 microsecond Pb-210
Pb-210 Lead-210 beta 22.3 years Bi-210
Bi-210 Bismuth-210 beta 5.01 days Po-210
Po-210 Polonium-210 alpha 138.4 days Pb-206
Pb-206 Lead-206 none stable (none)
Based on process water uranium concentrations of 27,000 parts per billion compared to 3-5 parts per billion in Coonjimba Billabong
Fernando de Freitas
Media Advisor
Office of Scott Ludlam & Rachel Siewert
Australian Greens Senators for Western Australia
Suite S1.36 Parliament House, Canberra ACT
P: 02 6277 3467
Fernando.defreitas
Read more:
http://tonyserve.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/uranium-contamination-from-kakadu-mine-5400-times-background-levels-water-contaminated/
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Toxic clean up to start at Caves Creek mine (Australia, modern mining problems)
Comment: More modern mining problems because of flooding, Mother Nature is tough but the local VA uranium group thinks they are smarter than Mother Nature and if proposed mining happens, they can control everything, so Prideful and silly! Later, this week will be pieces of the flooding happening now in the proposed mining sites again!
By Darren Nelson
Posted Wed May 27, 2009 9:31am AEST
The Queensland Government has awarded a contract to clean up one of the 10 toxic mine spills that occurred in the state's north-west due to severe flooding earlier this year.
The clean up operation will focus on removing copper residue that was flushed into Caves Creek, downstream from the former Mount Oxide site, about 140 kilometres north of Mount Isa.
Local MP Betty Kiernan says pumps will be used to return the contaminated water back to the disused mine.
Read more:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/27/2581834.htm
By Darren Nelson
Posted Wed May 27, 2009 9:31am AEST
The Queensland Government has awarded a contract to clean up one of the 10 toxic mine spills that occurred in the state's north-west due to severe flooding earlier this year.
The clean up operation will focus on removing copper residue that was flushed into Caves Creek, downstream from the former Mount Oxide site, about 140 kilometres north of Mount Isa.
Local MP Betty Kiernan says pumps will be used to return the contaminated water back to the disused mine.
Read more:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/27/2581834.htm
Monday, January 11, 2010
Cyclone halts BHPB iron-ore shipments, threatens mines
Publishing Date21 Dec 2009
12:53pm GMT
Tropical cyclone Laurence, which last week caused evacuations of oil and gas rigs, is moving into Western Australia’s iron-ore-rich Pilbara area, causing BHP Billiton to suspend shipments of the steel-making ingredient.
The mining company halted iron-ore shipments after Port Hedland was closed today, Melbourne-based spokeswoman Samantha Evans said in a phone interview. The port was closed at 1am and there are no immediate plans to reopen it, harbour master Lindsay Copeman said.
Laurence last week affected the sparsely populated Kimberley coastal region's energy and mining projects.
Mt Gibson Iron Ltd evacuated 220 employees from its Koolan Island facility. HWE Mining Pty Ltd evacuated workers off Cockatoo Island, where it mines iron ore in partnership with Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.
Cyclone George in March 2007 caused flooding at Energy Resources of Australia Ltd's Ranger uranium mine in the Northern Territory. That storm killed two workers and injured 16 others at Fortescue Metals Group Ltd's iron-ore operation in Western Australia.
Cyclone Tracy, one of the worst natural disasters in Australia's history, killed 71 people on Christmas Day, 1974 when it struck Darwin, according to the government’s Emergency Management Authority. The storm forced 35,362 of a population of 47,000 to flee, the nation’s biggest peacetime evacuation.
Read more:
http://www.mining-journal.com/production-and-markets/cyclone-halts-bhpb-iron-ore-shipments,-threatens-mines
12:53pm GMT
Tropical cyclone Laurence, which last week caused evacuations of oil and gas rigs, is moving into Western Australia’s iron-ore-rich Pilbara area, causing BHP Billiton to suspend shipments of the steel-making ingredient.
The mining company halted iron-ore shipments after Port Hedland was closed today, Melbourne-based spokeswoman Samantha Evans said in a phone interview. The port was closed at 1am and there are no immediate plans to reopen it, harbour master Lindsay Copeman said.
Laurence last week affected the sparsely populated Kimberley coastal region's energy and mining projects.
Mt Gibson Iron Ltd evacuated 220 employees from its Koolan Island facility. HWE Mining Pty Ltd evacuated workers off Cockatoo Island, where it mines iron ore in partnership with Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.
Cyclone George in March 2007 caused flooding at Energy Resources of Australia Ltd's Ranger uranium mine in the Northern Territory. That storm killed two workers and injured 16 others at Fortescue Metals Group Ltd's iron-ore operation in Western Australia.
Cyclone Tracy, one of the worst natural disasters in Australia's history, killed 71 people on Christmas Day, 1974 when it struck Darwin, according to the government’s Emergency Management Authority. The storm forced 35,362 of a population of 47,000 to flee, the nation’s biggest peacetime evacuation.
Read more:
http://www.mining-journal.com/production-and-markets/cyclone-halts-bhpb-iron-ore-shipments,-threatens-mines
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The river that disappeared (because of Modern Mining)
Comment: The definition of "Colliery" - in Australia, "colliery" generally refers to an underground coal mine! So an underground mine is making the river disappear by using all its water and the jerk with the company says they are "pumped its excess water into the creek as a gift to nearby residents"! Really, the river belongs to the people not a mining corporation!
DEBRA JOPSON
REGIONAL AFFAIRS
December 29, 2009
AS SOREN and Sonya Lunoe waited for the hundred or so holidaymakers who booked into their Turon Gates resort near Lithgow for the Christmas break, the river where tourists fish, kayak and swim dropped dramatically, leaving a chain of small waterholes linked by a dry bed.
The drying of the Turon River had happened only three times in the 36 years since they bought the property, and Mrs Lunoe rang her guests to let them know their water play would be curtailed.
As the first families arrived with tents or moved into the 18 cabins, he shipped in 12,000 litres in 10 tanker loads, at $380 each.
The Lunoes and a cattle farmer, Digby MacPhee, believe that the Baal Bone Colliery has sucked the water out of Jews Creek, which feeds into the river.
But the mine's safety and training manager, said that, rather than taking from the river, the colliery was totally self-sufficient and pumped its excess water into the creek as a gift to nearby residents.
''The only reason it has dried up is we have had a major failure in one of our pumps,'' he said.
The pump had been fixed and water was on its way.
Read...
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/the-river-that-disappeared-20091228-lhbj.html
DEBRA JOPSON
REGIONAL AFFAIRS
December 29, 2009
AS SOREN and Sonya Lunoe waited for the hundred or so holidaymakers who booked into their Turon Gates resort near Lithgow for the Christmas break, the river where tourists fish, kayak and swim dropped dramatically, leaving a chain of small waterholes linked by a dry bed.
The drying of the Turon River had happened only three times in the 36 years since they bought the property, and Mrs Lunoe rang her guests to let them know their water play would be curtailed.
As the first families arrived with tents or moved into the 18 cabins, he shipped in 12,000 litres in 10 tanker loads, at $380 each.
The Lunoes and a cattle farmer, Digby MacPhee, believe that the Baal Bone Colliery has sucked the water out of Jews Creek, which feeds into the river.
But the mine's safety and training manager, said that, rather than taking from the river, the colliery was totally self-sufficient and pumped its excess water into the creek as a gift to nearby residents.
''The only reason it has dried up is we have had a major failure in one of our pumps,'' he said.
The pump had been fixed and water was on its way.
Read...
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/the-river-that-disappeared-20091228-lhbj.html
Monday, December 28, 2009
Radioactive waterfront home to be razedBEN CUBBY ENVIRONMENT
December 28, 2009
NEW plans to clean up the site of a former uranium smelter in Hunters Hill mean a four-storey waterfront mansion the NSW Government has repeatedly declared safe will be demolished.
In addition, 3000 cubic metres of radioactive earth will be dug out of two neighbouring properties and another 500 cubic metres are likely to be scraped from the harbour floor in front of the site at 11 Nelson Parade, subject to more tests by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.
A secretive tendering process for removing the earth, in which bidders were forbidden from visiting the site or talking to neighbours, is under way.
No environmental assessment or planning approval has been granted yet.
The Herald understands the tests show elevated background radiation levels that in some cases exceed health guidelines, reinforcing results from independent tests last year by a private company, Australian Radiation Services. These showed that in some spots contamination was 350 times normal levels.
The Government's State Property Authority, which took over management of the site from NSW Health this year, said in tender documents that the home might need to be demolished, subject to ANSTO's findings.
The house was bought back from private owners for $3.4 million in an out-of-court settlement, after the Government said for six months that it was safe.
The clean-up plans are another climbdown for the Government, which maintained for years that the street was safe.
Six people who lived in affected properties in the street are known to have died from cancer.
NSW Liberal MP Michael Richardson, who has campaigned for years for a thorough clean-up, said the secrecy of the tendering process was alarming. "I understand the sensitivity of this issue but the people of NSW are entitled to know the full story,'' he said.
The documents classify the soil as ''restricted solid waste'' but Mr Richardson said some of it should be classified as hazardous waste, which poses a problem for disposal.
An ANSTO spokesman said the agency was supplying results to the NSW Environment Department, which would decide the level of clean-up required.
The site was home to a uranium smelter owned by Radium Hill Company from 1908 to 1915.
Read:
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/radioactive-waterfront-home-to-be-razed-20091227-lga9.html
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Indigenous leader maintains mining protest
Comment: No to uranium mining!
Posted Fri Nov 27, 2009 1:39pm AEDT
A Goldfields Aboriginal leader has vowed to continue opposing plans to establish uranium mining in the region.
Geoffrey Stokes was among a group of elders and conservationists protesting outside BHP Billiton's annual general meeting in Brisbane yesterday.
Mr Stokes is opposed to the development of the company's Yeelirrie uranium project near Wiluna.
State Government of failing to listen to the concerns of local Aboriginal people.
Read more at:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/27/2755566.htm
Posted Fri Nov 27, 2009 1:39pm AEDT
A Goldfields Aboriginal leader has vowed to continue opposing plans to establish uranium mining in the region.
Geoffrey Stokes was among a group of elders and conservationists protesting outside BHP Billiton's annual general meeting in Brisbane yesterday.
Mr Stokes is opposed to the development of the company's Yeelirrie uranium project near Wiluna.
State Government of failing to listen to the concerns of local Aboriginal people.
Read more at:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/27/2755566.htm
Friday, November 27, 2009
Greens Call for Ban on Uranium Mining
Comment: Ban Uranium everywhere, we want green energy, not the killing energy!
2009 November 27
by adelecarles
Greens MLA Adele Carles has given notice in Parliament that she will be introducing a bill to ban uranium mining when parliament resumes early next year.
The Fremantle MP plans to introduce a Bill, The Uranium Mining Prohibition (Keeping WA Free from the Nuclear Fuel Chain) Bill 2009, which will prohibit the mining of uranium and set a maximum penalty of up to $5 million for offences.
Ms Carles said the state government’s decision to give the green light to uranium mining is both dangerous and undemocratic.
“Now is the time for a full public debate on uranium mining in this State. We want this debate to happen before uranium mining begins. We need the debate before contracts are signed, so that this important issue doesn’t become overwhelmed by the question of how much compensation taxpayers would be liable for to break uranium contracts. We are currently seeing the Government introducing legislation to fast track the approvals process so that these mines can begin soon with very little public input.”
“This Bill reflects the massive community pressure for WA to stay out of the unsafe practices and outmoded thinking that define the nuclear industry.”
“Western Australians are demanding clean, long-term renewable energy alternatives to tackle the uncertain future that climate change is bringing us,” she said.
The Greens MP said uranium mining is a political, social, environmental and financial black hole.
“Mining companies are the ones who will reap economic benefits for a decade or so but Western Australians will bear the brunt of this toxic legacy indefinitely,” Ms Carles said.
The Bill is set to be introduced into parliament when it first sits next February.
Read more:
http://adelecarles.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/greens-call-for-ban-on-uranium-mining/
2009 November 27
by adelecarles
Greens MLA Adele Carles has given notice in Parliament that she will be introducing a bill to ban uranium mining when parliament resumes early next year.
The Fremantle MP plans to introduce a Bill, The Uranium Mining Prohibition (Keeping WA Free from the Nuclear Fuel Chain) Bill 2009, which will prohibit the mining of uranium and set a maximum penalty of up to $5 million for offences.
Ms Carles said the state government’s decision to give the green light to uranium mining is both dangerous and undemocratic.
“Now is the time for a full public debate on uranium mining in this State. We want this debate to happen before uranium mining begins. We need the debate before contracts are signed, so that this important issue doesn’t become overwhelmed by the question of how much compensation taxpayers would be liable for to break uranium contracts. We are currently seeing the Government introducing legislation to fast track the approvals process so that these mines can begin soon with very little public input.”
“This Bill reflects the massive community pressure for WA to stay out of the unsafe practices and outmoded thinking that define the nuclear industry.”
“Western Australians are demanding clean, long-term renewable energy alternatives to tackle the uncertain future that climate change is bringing us,” she said.
The Greens MP said uranium mining is a political, social, environmental and financial black hole.
“Mining companies are the ones who will reap economic benefits for a decade or so but Western Australians will bear the brunt of this toxic legacy indefinitely,” Ms Carles said.
The Bill is set to be introduced into parliament when it first sits next February.
Read more:
http://adelecarles.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/greens-call-for-ban-on-uranium-mining/
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
100 protest in Alice against uranium mine
Comment: No to Uranium Mining!
By Kirsty Nancarrow
Posted Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:41pm AEDT
The Northern Territory Resources Minister has agreed to meet with a group of Alice Springs residents concerned about a proposed uranium mine near the town.
Kon Vatskalis approved an exploration licence for the Angela and Pamela deposit just over a year ago and the mining company Cameco has finished its 2009 drilling program.
About 100 anti-nuclear protesters assembled outside the Alice Springs parliamentary sittings this morning, urging the Government not to approve a mine at the site.
One of the protesters, Rita Apelt, says she has health concerns about the project.
"There's a lot of dust in Alice Springs and as we know, it went to the east coast a couple of months ago," she said.
Click Title or Link to whole:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/24/2751998.htm
By Kirsty Nancarrow
Posted Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:41pm AEDT
The Northern Territory Resources Minister has agreed to meet with a group of Alice Springs residents concerned about a proposed uranium mine near the town.
Kon Vatskalis approved an exploration licence for the Angela and Pamela deposit just over a year ago and the mining company Cameco has finished its 2009 drilling program.
About 100 anti-nuclear protesters assembled outside the Alice Springs parliamentary sittings this morning, urging the Government not to approve a mine at the site.
One of the protesters, Rita Apelt, says she has health concerns about the project.
"There's a lot of dust in Alice Springs and as we know, it went to the east coast a couple of months ago," she said.
Click Title or Link to whole:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/24/2751998.htm
Friday, November 20, 2009
Doctors threaten to leave over uranium mine
By Eric Tlozek
Posted Fri Nov 20, 2009 2:00pm AEDT
A group of Alice Springs doctors say they will leave the town if a uranium mine goes ahead in the area.
Uranium company Cameco (Canadian Mining Corp) is exploring a uranium deposit 25 kilometres south of Alice Springs.
"The prompt for writing the letter was borne out of concern, out of deep concern, for the implications of having a uranium mine here, especially in terms of the loss of workforce which could be one of the consequences of having a mine here in town," said one of the signatories, Dr Koen de Decker.
Click Title or Link to whole:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/20/2748844.htm
Posted Fri Nov 20, 2009 2:00pm AEDT
A group of Alice Springs doctors say they will leave the town if a uranium mine goes ahead in the area.
Uranium company Cameco (Canadian Mining Corp) is exploring a uranium deposit 25 kilometres south of Alice Springs.
"The prompt for writing the letter was borne out of concern, out of deep concern, for the implications of having a uranium mine here, especially in terms of the loss of workforce which could be one of the consequences of having a mine here in town," said one of the signatories, Dr Koen de Decker.
Click Title or Link to whole:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/20/2748844.htm
Friday, November 13, 2009
Australia evolving its position on uranium sales to India?
Jyoti Malhotra / New Delhi
November 14, 2009, 0:34 IST
India and Australia seem to have overcome several thorny issues that have bedevilled their relationship, including the recent attacks on Indian students in that country, by forging a security and strategic partnership that ranges from maintaining the safety and security of sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean to starting a CEOs forum to consolidate the relationship.
It is not clear, however, if Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who ended his visit to India yesterday, bit the bullet and told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he would work on his Labour Party back home and convince them to slowly withdraw its ban on the sale of uranium to India.
Rudd had waxed eloquent about growing cooperation in energy and mineral resources between both countries, and at a public speech at the Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA) yesterday, admitted that Australia’s long-standing ban on uranium sales was not directed at India.
Click Title or Link to whole post:
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/australia-evolving-its-positionuranium-sales-to-india/376441/
November 14, 2009, 0:34 IST
India and Australia seem to have overcome several thorny issues that have bedevilled their relationship, including the recent attacks on Indian students in that country, by forging a security and strategic partnership that ranges from maintaining the safety and security of sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean to starting a CEOs forum to consolidate the relationship.
It is not clear, however, if Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who ended his visit to India yesterday, bit the bullet and told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he would work on his Labour Party back home and convince them to slowly withdraw its ban on the sale of uranium to India.
Rudd had waxed eloquent about growing cooperation in energy and mineral resources between both countries, and at a public speech at the Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA) yesterday, admitted that Australia’s long-standing ban on uranium sales was not directed at India.
Click Title or Link to whole post:
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/australia-evolving-its-positionuranium-sales-to-india/376441/
Thursday, November 5, 2009
West Atlas oil leak stopped
Posted Tue Nov 3, 2009 8:00pm AEDT
Updated Wed Nov 4, 2009 1:18am AEDT
The company responsible for an oil spill in the Timor Sea off the West Australian coast says it has stopped oil leaking from the well.
The West Atlas drilling rig has spewed hundreds of thousands of litres of oil into the Timor Sea since late August.
The rig's operator, PTTEP Australasia intercepted the leaking well on Sunday morning, but the platform caught fire, hampering further efforts to cap the leak.
The company says tens of thousands of litres of heavy mud was used in the fourth and successful attempt to stop the leak but the well is yet to be plugged and permanently secured.
PTTEP says the main fire on the platform has been extinguished but other, minor fires are still burning.
Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett says the oil leak and fire has raised serious questions about the safety of a plan to pipe gas from the Browse Basin to Darwin.
Click Title or Link to whole post:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/03/2732288.htm?WT.mc_id=newsmail
Updated Wed Nov 4, 2009 1:18am AEDT
The company responsible for an oil spill in the Timor Sea off the West Australian coast says it has stopped oil leaking from the well.
The West Atlas drilling rig has spewed hundreds of thousands of litres of oil into the Timor Sea since late August.
The rig's operator, PTTEP Australasia intercepted the leaking well on Sunday morning, but the platform caught fire, hampering further efforts to cap the leak.
The company says tens of thousands of litres of heavy mud was used in the fourth and successful attempt to stop the leak but the well is yet to be plugged and permanently secured.
PTTEP says the main fire on the platform has been extinguished but other, minor fires are still burning.
Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett says the oil leak and fire has raised serious questions about the safety of a plan to pipe gas from the Browse Basin to Darwin.
Click Title or Link to whole post:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/03/2732288.htm?WT.mc_id=newsmail
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Rio Tinto to be prosecuted for uranium disaster
Comment: More on Modern Uranium Mining Disasters!
Published Date: 30-09-2004
Occupational Health News Issue 612,
The Ranger uranium Mine, operated by Energy Resources of Aust Ltd (ERA), a Rio Tinto subsidiary, will front Darwin Magistrates Court on October 11 to face landmark charges, which have been brought for the first time under the Northern Territory mining Management Act 2001.
The charges relate to 28 workers who showered in, and drank, water that was contaminated with levels of uranium 400 times the safe maximum under Australian standards (OHN 587).
The NT Dept of Business, Industry and Resource Development (DBIRD) launched the prosecution this week. "There are two counts. The first is under s39 and carries a maximum penalty of $137,500 and the second is under s23(5) and carries a maximum penalty of $27,500," a DBIRD spokesperson said.
According to a DBIRD report, 159 workers were potentially exposed to contaminated water.
It's failing left, right and centre in the mining industry up here, and pretty spectacularly in relation to the Ranger mine," McDonald told OccupationalHelth and Safety News. "The level of fines is totally inadequate. They are not a deterrent.
We have had discussions with the government and are putting together a submission for a review of the 2001 Act to bring it in line with national standards." McDonald confirmed four contract fitters from WA had issued civil claims after being exposed.
Click Title or Read the complete post at link below:
http://www.minesandcommunities.org//article.php?a=7207&highlight=uranium,mining,fines
Published Date: 30-09-2004
Occupational Health News Issue 612,
The Ranger uranium Mine, operated by Energy Resources of Aust Ltd (ERA), a Rio Tinto subsidiary, will front Darwin Magistrates Court on October 11 to face landmark charges, which have been brought for the first time under the Northern Territory mining Management Act 2001.
The charges relate to 28 workers who showered in, and drank, water that was contaminated with levels of uranium 400 times the safe maximum under Australian standards (OHN 587).
The NT Dept of Business, Industry and Resource Development (DBIRD) launched the prosecution this week. "There are two counts. The first is under s39 and carries a maximum penalty of $137,500 and the second is under s23(5) and carries a maximum penalty of $27,500," a DBIRD spokesperson said.
According to a DBIRD report, 159 workers were potentially exposed to contaminated water.
It's failing left, right and centre in the mining industry up here, and pretty spectacularly in relation to the Ranger mine," McDonald told OccupationalHelth and Safety News. "The level of fines is totally inadequate. They are not a deterrent.
We have had discussions with the government and are putting together a submission for a review of the 2001 Act to bring it in line with national standards." McDonald confirmed four contract fitters from WA had issued civil claims after being exposed.
Click Title or Read the complete post at link below:
http://www.minesandcommunities.org//article.php?a=7207&highlight=uranium,mining,fines
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Probe into uranium mine leak continues
Comments: Listed below are several accidents and problems with modern uranium mining in Australia!
Thanks AC: The Ranger Uranium Mine is one of the most strictly regulated uranium mines in Australia and the Office of the Supervising Scientist is controlling, is supervising, very strictly the mine," he said. Do the words "strictly regulated" ease one's mind. regarding uranium mining and milling. when perusing the articles below? Should Virginia and surrounding states that share water be worried? Will/has the U.S. done a better job with "regulating" uranium mining activities than Australia?
Probe into uranium mine leak continues
Posted Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:26pm AEDT
The Commonwealth supervising scientist of the Ranger uranium mine at Kakadu National Park says investigations are continuing into water contamination at the site.
Energy Resources of Australia has conducted geophysical surveys to determine the impact and extent of leaking from a tailings dam at the mine.
Mr Hughes says the company has only preliminary results from the surveys and is not sure if ERA will make the findings public.
"I understand that they are having significant discussions with the traditional owners and the Northern Land Council about tailings and seepage issues on an ongoing basis," he said.
"So I imagine all the immediate stakeholders will be very well informed on the issue."
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam is demanding the report be made public as soon as possible.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/20/2719474.htm
Waste leak site clean: BHP Billiton
Posted Mon Mar 23, 2009 4:26pm AEDT
Updated Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:14pm AEDT
Olympic Dam uranium leak site ... BHP Billiton says it has now been cleaned. (ABC News: Friends of the Earth)
BHP Billiton says it has cleaned up the site of a radioactive waste leak at its Olympic Dam uranium mine in South Australia.
Green groups released photos they say were taken by a mine worker in December 2008, showing a clean-up operation outside a tailings dam.
The mining company says it notified the State Government and the Environment Protection Authority.
BHP Billiton says it has pumped the tailings back into the dam and that the wall is now secure.
Uranium mine water leak concerning, govt says
Posted Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:28pm AEDT
Updated Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:35pm AEDT
About 100,000 litres of contaminated water is seeping from a tailings dam at the mine every day. (AFP: Energy Resouces of Australia/SkyScans: file photo)
The Northern Territory Government says it will speak to mining company ERA and the office of the Commonwealth Supervising Scientist about contaminated water leaking from the Ranger Uranium Mine.
Environmentalists are calling for the mine's planned expansion to be put on hold.
The Office of the Supervising Scientist and ERA say the water is not seeping into Kakadu and there is no reason for concern.
"The Ranger Uranium Mine is one of the most strictly regulated uranium mines in Australia and the Office of the Supervising Scientist is controlling, is supervising, very strictly the mine," he said.
"I'm prepared to talk with the Office of the Supervising Scientist to find out exactly what's happening, " he said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/15/2516584.htm
Uranium mine water leaking into Kakadu
Posted Fri Mar 13, 2009 5:19pm AEDT
Updated Fri Mar 13, 2009 5:46pm AEDT
Tens of thousands of litres of contaminated water is leaking into Kakadu National Park every day from the Ranger Uranium Mine (AAP: Tara Ravens)
A Senate Committee has been told tens of thousands of litres of contaminated water is leaking into Kakadu National Park every day from a tailings dam at the Ranger Uranium Mine.
Mr Hughes also told the Committee he did not see any significant reason for concern.
The Ranger uranium mine is on a lease within the boundaries of the world-heritage listed Kakadu National Park .
The Greens are calling on the mining company ERA to explain how it intends to clean up the water.
"It's a vast quantity of water, contaminated water, with processed chemicals, heavy metals, and radinuclides seeping out from underneath the tailings dam," he said.
"And we are just very concerned to know how the company plans on remediating the vast quantity of contaminated water that's seeping out from under their tailings facility.
"I think the supervising scientist and the government is being incredibly casual, telling us not to be too worried, although they couldn't say how the company would remediate it, when they would be doing that.
"They couldn't even tell us the total volume of contaminated water that had leaked away."
The mining company ERA says it has a detailed plan to clean up the water.
"It's well monitored, it's well understood by us and the regulators.
And we have a comprehensive rehabilitation plan, to remedy any effects on the surrounding area."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/13/2515907.htm
Cloncurry creek 'caustic' after mine leak
By Chrissy Arthur
Posted Thu May 21, 2009 7:35am AEST
Updated Thu May 21, 2009 10:51am AEST
Residents of the north-west Queensland community of Cloncurry are being warned to stay clear of a creek running through the town which has been contaminated by mine water.
The Cloncurry Shire Council says water from Coppermine Creek has been contaminated by a leak from a pipe at the Great Australia Mine near the town.
That has created a corrosive discharge into the waterway.
The Council says under no circumstances should anyone enter, touch or go near the creek.
The water is caustic and will irritate skin and eyes and could affect breathing.
He says there are also reports of fish kills at the Coppermine Creek Bridge near the town.
Mr Turnour says it is a serious incident.
"It's high in acid so if you touch it it'll be very bad for your skin, your eyes and so on," he said.
"This is going to hang around for a fair period of time.
"We're taking the matter quite seriously - even though this is not a Council matter, we're taking the responsibility to warn people."
The mining company has begun a clean-up.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/21/2576607.htm
Green group says Govt knew of radioactive leak
Posted Tue Mar 24, 2009 3:00pm AEDT
Friends of the Earth says it has known about a radioactive leak at Olympic Dam for three months, but only released the information to the media yesterday.
The group found out about the leak after a worker passed on photos showing the radioactive liquid collecting in unlined trenches.
Dr Jim Green, from Friends of the Earth, says the State Government has known about the problem since last April, but did not make the information public.
"We only became aware of the problem in December and we hear that BHP reported the problem to the State Government last April, as to why that was not made public earlier, you'd really have to put that to the State Government representative," he said.
The Environment Protection Authority says the information was not released because it did not present any risk to the public or to the environment.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/24/2524910.htm
Rio Tinto investigates chemical leak
Posted Wed Apr 1, 2009 10:36am AEDT
Updated Wed Apr 1, 2009 11:37am AEDT
Rio Tinto is investigating reports of a leak from one of the wastewater dams at its Alcan Gove bauxite mine and aluminium refinery in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
The company says it is looking into an incident in which a man complained of a burning sensation on his skin after coming into contact with groundwater.
The company says it happened somewhere on the mine site in the middle of March.
But it did not start investigating until contacted by the ABC yesterday about reports of a leak from a waste water dam and a red plume streaming into Melville Bay.
The company says an inspection of the area was carried out yesterday and water samples were taken.
The Australian Conservation Foundation says the Territory Government is not doing enough monitoring of the environmental impacts of mines.
The foundation's Dave Sweeney says it is unacceptable that the Government relies on environmental impact information provided by mining companies.
"Self-regulation doesn't work," he said.
Click below to find links to stories:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/20/2719474.htm
Monday, September 28, 2009
Australia: Uranium Dust Threat Real?
Comment: Politian’s in Virginia cannot wait to blowup our hills for uranium. Uranium open pit mining will be done all over Virginia! Do you think uranium dust from blasting will blow toward Richmond or Raleigh! Yes, it will! Demand the leaders of VA to ban uranium mining now!
Posted by feww on September 28, 2009
Future storms may contain radioactive dust, if mine proposal goes ahead—Environmentalist
An Australian documentary maker says that future dust storms in the country may contain radioactive materials, if the mining company BHP Billiton’s proposal to turn a uranium mine into an open-cut mine goes ahead.
David Bradbury, a renowned filmmaker and environmental activist, who has made four documentaries on nuclear issues, says an environmental impact study suggest that about 70 million tons of radioactive tailing would be deposited at South Australia’s Olympic Dam uranium mine grounds each year.
The tailings are contaminated with alpha radiation, he says, which is proven to be carcinogenic to all animals, including humans.
“My grave concern is that with the open-cut mine expansion that BHP Billiton wants permission from state and federal governments to go ahead with, that the radioactive tailings left behind will blow over the eastern coast centres of the most populated cities of Australia,” he said.
Bradbury concerns came amid last Wednesday worst ever dust storm in the Sydney and Brisbane areas as red dust blown in from the outback shrouded the region, causing problems for people, especially those with asthma, and others with heart and lung conditions.
“[Since] the dust storms… originated from Woomera, and which is right next door to the Olympic Dam mine at Roxby Downs, these [storms] could blow those tailings across the face of Australia,” said Bradbury.
However, Australian scientists are playing down fears, assuring the public that there is nothing to worry about [sic.]
Barry Noller an Associate Professor from the University of Queensland, whose research projects include Risk Assessment of Mined Land, was quoted as saying that most of the particles from the uranium mines in the outback are simply too heavy to be carried by the wind over long distances.
“In a big dust storm, the dust is not going to come from one isolated site, it is going to be mixed in with dust from a [wide] area and diluted considerably,” said Noller.
FEWW Comments:
Come again? What if the storms were stronger and blew more sand more frequently, say, twice more, perhaps five times, or ten time as much every year? The recent atmospheric trends and new patterns set by climate change certainly suggest such extreme scenarios as highly probable!
That’s the most ridiculous comment an Associate Professor could possibly make, even one from the University of Queensland, without quantifying the extent of the problem. The stronger the storms the more dust they carry over populated areas, and with it goes more of the heavier particles.
Here’s what the Aussies, even their corporate media, should demand to know:
How much stronger must the storms be, and how frequently must they below before they pose, (i) some risk, (ii) significant risk to the public health, threatening human and animal well being?
Should this professor make similarly stupid, biased and unqualified remarks again, the Moderators will have to investigate his role and function as a government scientist with regulatory bias.
http://feww.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/australia-uranium-dust-threat-real/
Posted by feww on September 28, 2009
Future storms may contain radioactive dust, if mine proposal goes ahead—Environmentalist
An Australian documentary maker says that future dust storms in the country may contain radioactive materials, if the mining company BHP Billiton’s proposal to turn a uranium mine into an open-cut mine goes ahead.
David Bradbury, a renowned filmmaker and environmental activist, who has made four documentaries on nuclear issues, says an environmental impact study suggest that about 70 million tons of radioactive tailing would be deposited at South Australia’s Olympic Dam uranium mine grounds each year.
The tailings are contaminated with alpha radiation, he says, which is proven to be carcinogenic to all animals, including humans.
“My grave concern is that with the open-cut mine expansion that BHP Billiton wants permission from state and federal governments to go ahead with, that the radioactive tailings left behind will blow over the eastern coast centres of the most populated cities of Australia,” he said.
Bradbury concerns came amid last Wednesday worst ever dust storm in the Sydney and Brisbane areas as red dust blown in from the outback shrouded the region, causing problems for people, especially those with asthma, and others with heart and lung conditions.
“[Since] the dust storms… originated from Woomera, and which is right next door to the Olympic Dam mine at Roxby Downs, these [storms] could blow those tailings across the face of Australia,” said Bradbury.
However, Australian scientists are playing down fears, assuring the public that there is nothing to worry about [sic.]
Barry Noller an Associate Professor from the University of Queensland, whose research projects include Risk Assessment of Mined Land, was quoted as saying that most of the particles from the uranium mines in the outback are simply too heavy to be carried by the wind over long distances.
“In a big dust storm, the dust is not going to come from one isolated site, it is going to be mixed in with dust from a [wide] area and diluted considerably,” said Noller.
FEWW Comments:
Come again? What if the storms were stronger and blew more sand more frequently, say, twice more, perhaps five times, or ten time as much every year? The recent atmospheric trends and new patterns set by climate change certainly suggest such extreme scenarios as highly probable!
That’s the most ridiculous comment an Associate Professor could possibly make, even one from the University of Queensland, without quantifying the extent of the problem. The stronger the storms the more dust they carry over populated areas, and with it goes more of the heavier particles.
Here’s what the Aussies, even their corporate media, should demand to know:
How much stronger must the storms be, and how frequently must they below before they pose, (i) some risk, (ii) significant risk to the public health, threatening human and animal well being?
Should this professor make similarly stupid, biased and unqualified remarks again, the Moderators will have to investigate his role and function as a government scientist with regulatory bias.
http://feww.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/australia-uranium-dust-threat-real/
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Too Beautiful to Ruin
Comment: Looks like uranium mining companies tries to hard their radiated waste! Corporation's only interest is to make money and not to protect the environment! Oh, yea, according to the article, you cannot reclaim the land and it is a huge water user. Look out Virginia, they will blow up our hills, steal our water and ruin our lands for uranium! Sunday, September 20, 2009
This is Mt Gee on the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary in the northern Flinders Ranges.
The South Australian Government has announced that in less than a month it intends to renew the exploration license of a company that wants to mine uranium here.
That company held an exploration license which they lost because, among a number of incidents, they illegally buried 23,000 bags of low level radioactive material and general waste. They also illegally buried another twenty 200 litre drums of similar material in the beautiful Yudnamutana Gorge a couple of kilometres from the Paralana Hot Springs.
It is now feared that when their exploration lease is renewed, they'll be permitted to resume high level exploration and expect to go on to mining uranium.
The company won't be allowed to mine uranium by open-cut, the only alternative would be by tunneling to Mt Gee.
Whichever way the uranium is mined, it would produce an enormous amount of waste and much would be radioactive. Vast amounts of earth and rock from the tunneling and mining would be dumped and stored in the surrounding countryside. Giant air vents and escape shafts would need to be installed across the mountains with tracks to maintain them.
Rehabilitation will be required, but in arid mountain ranges with irregular, low rainfall, rehabilitation does not guarantee regeneration. Past experience shows this can take up to 80 years.
The company has already advised Federal authorities that to run the mine and process the uranium will require 2 to 2.5 gigalitres of water per year – an average of 6 million litres of water per day!
Where's that coming from and at what cost to the plants and animals of this arid environment?
Mining in the Outback is a fact of life and there's a lot of well managed operations in this region which produce much needed resources and provide employment for thousands of families. That's not the issue here.
Hopefully people who have visited this country over the years will understand the significance of what mining on Arkaroola would do.
There's already one avenue to register your opposition to further exploration and mining on Arkaroola through a Wilderness Society peitition. It's pretty easy to do and you don't have to join anything - just register your thoughts which will get passed on to the decision makers.
So far more than 2100 people have signed the internet petition and even though the number is growing, it's early days yet.
Here's the site Wilderness Society petition
If you want to find out more about the uranium mining issue on Arkaroola go to mining at Arkaroola..
http://www.thesentimentalbloke.com/2009/09/too-beautiful-to-ruin.html
This is Mt Gee on the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary in the northern Flinders Ranges.
The South Australian Government has announced that in less than a month it intends to renew the exploration license of a company that wants to mine uranium here.
That company held an exploration license which they lost because, among a number of incidents, they illegally buried 23,000 bags of low level radioactive material and general waste. They also illegally buried another twenty 200 litre drums of similar material in the beautiful Yudnamutana Gorge a couple of kilometres from the Paralana Hot Springs.
It is now feared that when their exploration lease is renewed, they'll be permitted to resume high level exploration and expect to go on to mining uranium.
The company won't be allowed to mine uranium by open-cut, the only alternative would be by tunneling to Mt Gee.
Whichever way the uranium is mined, it would produce an enormous amount of waste and much would be radioactive. Vast amounts of earth and rock from the tunneling and mining would be dumped and stored in the surrounding countryside. Giant air vents and escape shafts would need to be installed across the mountains with tracks to maintain them.
Rehabilitation will be required, but in arid mountain ranges with irregular, low rainfall, rehabilitation does not guarantee regeneration. Past experience shows this can take up to 80 years.
The company has already advised Federal authorities that to run the mine and process the uranium will require 2 to 2.5 gigalitres of water per year – an average of 6 million litres of water per day!
Where's that coming from and at what cost to the plants and animals of this arid environment?
Mining in the Outback is a fact of life and there's a lot of well managed operations in this region which produce much needed resources and provide employment for thousands of families. That's not the issue here.
Hopefully people who have visited this country over the years will understand the significance of what mining on Arkaroola would do.
There's already one avenue to register your opposition to further exploration and mining on Arkaroola through a Wilderness Society peitition. It's pretty easy to do and you don't have to join anything - just register your thoughts which will get passed on to the decision makers.
So far more than 2100 people have signed the internet petition and even though the number is growing, it's early days yet.
Here's the site Wilderness Society petition
If you want to find out more about the uranium mining issue on Arkaroola go to mining at Arkaroola..
http://www.thesentimentalbloke.com/2009/09/too-beautiful-to-ruin.html
Friday, September 25, 2009
Uranium mine told to address dust risks
Issues such as dust risks from a planned expansion of BHP Billiton's uranium mining operations in outback South Australia will have to be addressed by the company.
Comment: So much for modern uranium mining!
Posted 8 hours 13 minutes ago
SA's Mineral Resources Development Minister Paul Holloway has told the SA Parliament BHP Billiton will need to prepare a supplementary environmental impact statement addressing dust management.
Mr Holloway says dust obviously could be a problem but the issue is able to be resolved.
He says the company will have to give an assurance it can manage dust from proposed open cut mining before permission is given for expansion of its Olympic Dam uranium, copper and gold mine at Roxby Downs.
The minister says there have been more than 4,000 submissions about the likely environmental impact of an Olympic Dam expansion.
Academy Award-nominated documentary maker David Bradbury claimed this week that red dust dumped onto east coast cities was a reason to be concerned about BHP Billiton's proposal to turn its uranium mine into an open cut operation.
He has made four documentaries on nuclear issues and says figures in the company's environmental impact study suggest 70 million tonnes of radioactive tailings will be dumped at the mine site annually.
He says the tailings contain alpha radiation, which is known to be carcinogenic to humans and animals.
Waste pile
The Greens say the dangers of an Olympic Dam mine expansion spreading radioactive dust across wide areas of Australia will be an issue for centuries to come.
SA Greens MP Mark Parnell says a mine expansion would create the biggest radioactive waste pile ever seen.
"What we've seen from this extreme weather in recent days is that dust can go everywhere - it could end up on Eyre Peninsula, it could end up on the eastern seaboard," he said.
"BHP Billiton must be forced by the [SA] Government to manage radioactive waste, stockpiles and their tailings forever."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/25/2696047.htm
Comment: So much for modern uranium mining!
Posted 8 hours 13 minutes ago
SA's Mineral Resources Development Minister Paul Holloway has told the SA Parliament BHP Billiton will need to prepare a supplementary environmental impact statement addressing dust management.
Mr Holloway says dust obviously could be a problem but the issue is able to be resolved.
He says the company will have to give an assurance it can manage dust from proposed open cut mining before permission is given for expansion of its Olympic Dam uranium, copper and gold mine at Roxby Downs.
The minister says there have been more than 4,000 submissions about the likely environmental impact of an Olympic Dam expansion.
Academy Award-nominated documentary maker David Bradbury claimed this week that red dust dumped onto east coast cities was a reason to be concerned about BHP Billiton's proposal to turn its uranium mine into an open cut operation.
He has made four documentaries on nuclear issues and says figures in the company's environmental impact study suggest 70 million tonnes of radioactive tailings will be dumped at the mine site annually.
He says the tailings contain alpha radiation, which is known to be carcinogenic to humans and animals.
Waste pile
The Greens say the dangers of an Olympic Dam mine expansion spreading radioactive dust across wide areas of Australia will be an issue for centuries to come.
SA Greens MP Mark Parnell says a mine expansion would create the biggest radioactive waste pile ever seen.
"What we've seen from this extreme weather in recent days is that dust can go everywhere - it could end up on Eyre Peninsula, it could end up on the eastern seaboard," he said.
"BHP Billiton must be forced by the [SA] Government to manage radioactive waste, stockpiles and their tailings forever."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/25/2696047.htm
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
A uranium hole in the heart
Comment: Lots of good points about the problem of so call "Modern Uranium Mining"! Virginia considering uranium mining all over Virginia is just crazy! Plus have the Canadians doing the mining, they are problems with their own uranium mines! Demand the State of Virginia to ban Uranium Mining and Milling now!
August 24, 2009 by Christina MacPherson
A uranium hole in the heart
Green Left Daniel Clarke, Alice Springs 23 August 2009
Canadian company Cameco and Australian-owned Paladin, the two businesses involved in the joint venture, hope to build Australia’s fifth uranium mine — well inside the Alice Springs water catchment boundary.
In July, environment minister Peter Garrett approved the nation’s fourth uranium mine at the Four Mile site in South Australia. The Angela Pamela exploratory licence is part of the NT’s push to expand its mining industry in response to a global surge in demand for uranium.
But a growing chorus of Alice Springs residents and tourism operators say the health risks of a uranium mine outweigh any economic benefits.
Family and medical groups have expressed grave concerns about Cameco’s recent history of radioactive leaks and flooding accidents in its uranium mines.
If built, the Angela Pamela uranium mine will be less than 15 kilometres away from existing and proposed bore fields for the Alice Springs’ drinking water.
Cameco, the world’s largest producer of uranium, flooded its Cigar Lake mine in Canada in 2006, leaving the world’s single largest uranium deposit underwater. Efforts to remove the water have so far failed.
In 2007, the company detected a radioactive leak at its Port Hope conversion plant. A similar leak was uncovered in 2001. Last year it paid US$1.4 million to the US state of Wyoming for failing to comply with a host of environmental standards at its Smith Ranch-Highland facility.
…………. Arid Lands Environment Centre coordinator Jimmy Cocking ..”“Both the nuclear industry and the government are relying on the fact that because we’re so far away from the big cities this issue will be out of sight, out of mind.
“If this is allowed to happen a lot of families will leave the town and we need to stop this now before exploration is finished and a full mining application is submitted.
“Who really wants to go to a place where if the wind blows up from the south — like it does here almost every day — there’s a possibility that you’re breathing in radioactive dust?”…………………..
Beyond Nuclear Initiative campaigner Nat Wasley said it was “ludicrous” for the federal and territory governments to use the Ranger uranium mine as an example of good practice.
“The Commonwealth’s own scientist revealed in March that 100,000 litres of contaminated water is leaking from the [Ranger] mine into the ground beneath Kakadu every day”, she told GLW.
“If those are the problems they’re having at the most heavily regulated uranium mine in Australia, if not the world, one can only imagine what might happen down the track at Alice Springs.”
Green Left – A uranium hole in the heart
http://uranium-news.com/
August 24, 2009 by Christina MacPherson
A uranium hole in the heart
Green Left Daniel Clarke, Alice Springs 23 August 2009
Canadian company Cameco and Australian-owned Paladin, the two businesses involved in the joint venture, hope to build Australia’s fifth uranium mine — well inside the Alice Springs water catchment boundary.
In July, environment minister Peter Garrett approved the nation’s fourth uranium mine at the Four Mile site in South Australia. The Angela Pamela exploratory licence is part of the NT’s push to expand its mining industry in response to a global surge in demand for uranium.
But a growing chorus of Alice Springs residents and tourism operators say the health risks of a uranium mine outweigh any economic benefits.
Family and medical groups have expressed grave concerns about Cameco’s recent history of radioactive leaks and flooding accidents in its uranium mines.
If built, the Angela Pamela uranium mine will be less than 15 kilometres away from existing and proposed bore fields for the Alice Springs’ drinking water.
Cameco, the world’s largest producer of uranium, flooded its Cigar Lake mine in Canada in 2006, leaving the world’s single largest uranium deposit underwater. Efforts to remove the water have so far failed.
In 2007, the company detected a radioactive leak at its Port Hope conversion plant. A similar leak was uncovered in 2001. Last year it paid US$1.4 million to the US state of Wyoming for failing to comply with a host of environmental standards at its Smith Ranch-Highland facility.
…………. Arid Lands Environment Centre coordinator Jimmy Cocking ..”“Both the nuclear industry and the government are relying on the fact that because we’re so far away from the big cities this issue will be out of sight, out of mind.
“If this is allowed to happen a lot of families will leave the town and we need to stop this now before exploration is finished and a full mining application is submitted.
“Who really wants to go to a place where if the wind blows up from the south — like it does here almost every day — there’s a possibility that you’re breathing in radioactive dust?”…………………..
Beyond Nuclear Initiative campaigner Nat Wasley said it was “ludicrous” for the federal and territory governments to use the Ranger uranium mine as an example of good practice.
“The Commonwealth’s own scientist revealed in March that 100,000 litres of contaminated water is leaking from the [Ranger] mine into the ground beneath Kakadu every day”, she told GLW.
“If those are the problems they’re having at the most heavily regulated uranium mine in Australia, if not the world, one can only imagine what might happen down the track at Alice Springs.”
Green Left – A uranium hole in the heart
http://uranium-news.com/
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Australia’s threatened water resources, and the uranium mining risk
Flooding at Coles Hill!Comment: Uranium mining will and has ruined our water and water all over the world. Modern uranium mining is not any different from the polluting ones over 30 years ago!
What impact is uranium mining having on our water?
The Advertiser, by Jim Green, 25 july 09
ENVIRONMENT Minister Peter Garrett buttressed his decision last week to approve in situ leach (ISL) uranium mining at Beverley Four Mile with the claim that he is “certain this operation poses no credible risk to the environment”.
Thus Mr Garrett adds another chapter to the history of spin surrounding ISL mining.
Environmental debates typically revolve around differing assessments of the possibility of environmental contamination.
But with ISL mining, environmental pollution – specifically contamination of groundwater with radionuclides, heavy metals and acid – is a certainty.
ISL mining involves pumping an acidic solution into an aquifer, dissolving the uranium ore and other heavy metals and pumping the solution back to the surface.
After the uranium has been separated, liquid radioactive waste is simply dumped in the aquifer.
Isolation and containment of the pollutants would not be difficult or expensive, but the mining companies will take the cheaper option of polluting groundwater for as long as the politicians let them……………………
A 2003 Senate References and Legislation Committee report recommended banning the discharge of radioactive liquid mine waste to groundwater. ISL uranium mining is used at the Beverley uranium mine and it is the mining method proposed for Beverley Four Mile, Oban and Honeymoon.
The future of this mining technique is plain to see: short-lived mines leaving SA with a legacy of polluted aquifers.
Spills and leaks are common at ISL mines. The SA Department of Primary Industry and Resources lists 59 spills at Beverley from 1998 to 2007.
Serious questions must be raised as to BHP Billiton’s capacity to safely manage radioactive tailings at Olympic Dam if, as planned, tailings production increases sevenfold to 68 million tonnes annually and water consumption increases to more than 250 million litres daily.
BHP Billiton pays nothing for its massive water take for the Olympic Dam mine, despite recording a $17.7 billion profit in 2007-8. That arrangement is enshrined in the Roxby Downs Indenture Act 1982………
……… The Indenture Act provides a raft of exemptions and overrides from the SA Natural Resources Act 2004, the Environment Protection Act 1993, the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988 and even the Freedom of Information Act 1991.
BHP Billiton and the Rann Government are currently engaged in secret discussions over the future of the Indenture Act.
http://antinuclear.net/2009/07/25/australias-threatened-water-resources-and-the-uranium-mining-risk/
What impact is uranium mining having on our water?
The Advertiser, by Jim Green, 25 july 09
ENVIRONMENT Minister Peter Garrett buttressed his decision last week to approve in situ leach (ISL) uranium mining at Beverley Four Mile with the claim that he is “certain this operation poses no credible risk to the environment”.
Thus Mr Garrett adds another chapter to the history of spin surrounding ISL mining.
Environmental debates typically revolve around differing assessments of the possibility of environmental contamination.
But with ISL mining, environmental pollution – specifically contamination of groundwater with radionuclides, heavy metals and acid – is a certainty.
ISL mining involves pumping an acidic solution into an aquifer, dissolving the uranium ore and other heavy metals and pumping the solution back to the surface.
After the uranium has been separated, liquid radioactive waste is simply dumped in the aquifer.
Isolation and containment of the pollutants would not be difficult or expensive, but the mining companies will take the cheaper option of polluting groundwater for as long as the politicians let them……………………
A 2003 Senate References and Legislation Committee report recommended banning the discharge of radioactive liquid mine waste to groundwater. ISL uranium mining is used at the Beverley uranium mine and it is the mining method proposed for Beverley Four Mile, Oban and Honeymoon.
The future of this mining technique is plain to see: short-lived mines leaving SA with a legacy of polluted aquifers.
Spills and leaks are common at ISL mines. The SA Department of Primary Industry and Resources lists 59 spills at Beverley from 1998 to 2007.
Serious questions must be raised as to BHP Billiton’s capacity to safely manage radioactive tailings at Olympic Dam if, as planned, tailings production increases sevenfold to 68 million tonnes annually and water consumption increases to more than 250 million litres daily.
BHP Billiton pays nothing for its massive water take for the Olympic Dam mine, despite recording a $17.7 billion profit in 2007-8. That arrangement is enshrined in the Roxby Downs Indenture Act 1982………
……… The Indenture Act provides a raft of exemptions and overrides from the SA Natural Resources Act 2004, the Environment Protection Act 1993, the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988 and even the Freedom of Information Act 1991.
BHP Billiton and the Rann Government are currently engaged in secret discussions over the future of the Indenture Act.
http://antinuclear.net/2009/07/25/australias-threatened-water-resources-and-the-uranium-mining-risk/
Friday, July 24, 2009
Uranium and a National Park
Comment: Listed below are two articles about modern uranium mining in Australian and the problem with mining! Again, uranium mining has never been safely anywhere in the world!
Posted on July 18, 2009
by archiearchive FCD
I am fortunate enough to live in an Australian National Park. The Rudall River National Park in the East Pilbara region of North Western Australia. While not a completely pristine area it retains its natural beauty the hordes of feral camels which run free.
There are two settlements within the park boundaries. I live in Punmu on the North Eastern corner while Parrngurr or Cotton Creek is on the Southern side a couple of salt lakes and 120Km away.
For years jokes have been made about the water at Parrngurr. The fact that there are “sparkles” in it. Not little pieces of mica but little flashes from disintegrating uranium atoms.
The community was settled before it was found that the hill behind it contained the highest grade deposit of uranium in the world. Luckily it is not a large deposit and so is not worth mining.
Unlike the deposit halfway along the road to the Telfer goldmine. Which is big enough to mine.
It is within the National Park. It is so remote that few people will worry about what happens there.
It is upstream from a river which, when in flood, flows North and then West until it reaches the Indian Ocean around eight hundred Kilometres away. During the dry season there are many waterholes left in the river system.
The Oakover River flows into the De Gray. Both abound in swimming holes and fishing spots. In flood there is a huge amount of water flowing down the engorged river bed as you can see with this major road totally cut in half by the Oakover.
But I heard, with my own ears, a representative of the mining company say that there was no chance of any mining pollution getting into that river system.
Of course I believed him.
Just as I believed the Government which designated the area a National Park and beyond the reach of mining activity.
The first in an occasional series(next article is listed below)
http://archiearchive.wordpress.com/2009/07/18/uranium-and-a-national-park/
Uranium Mining and a National Park #2
Posted on July 24, 2009 by archiearchive FCD
“The requirement to manage the radioactive tailings and all other solid wastes to minimise both long-term environmental as well as radiological releases and impacts makes uranium mining fundamentally different to other types of mining.”
“The long-term management of uranium mill tailings present a major environmental challenge. Given the tailings contain most of the original radioactivity of the ore (i.e. the decay products), they must be isolated from the environment for periods of at least tens of thousands of years – a time scale which is beyond collective human experience and certainly challenges engineering approaches for waste containment.” Gavin M. Mudd.
So, what is our record as a nation of Uranium miners?
Ranger:
• despite being expected to operate under a “no-release” water management system, incidents involving misplaced low grade ores or failures in water control bunds have led on numerous occasions to contaminated runoff waters being leaked into adjacent creeks (especially Corridoor Creek, a tributary of Magela Creek).
• in early 2004 incorrect plumbing saw the process water circuit being connected to the potable drinking water circuit – leading to rapid and significant toxic process water being mixed with drinking water, and much of the Ranger workforce being potentially exposed to both acute chemical and radiological exposure.
Olympic Dam:
• after operating for nearly a decade, a major ongoing leak from the tailings dam was revealed, amounting to the loss of billions of litres of tailings water to groundwater.
• in March 1999, and again October 2001, major explosions and fires caused substantive damage to the mill and smelter complexes, including major releases of noxious fumes – though the extent of radiological releases remains highly contentious, the fact that the uranium solvent extraction circuit in the 2001 incident was on fire raises serious concerns about how these incidents are handled by current regulators.
Beverley:
• numerous spills and leaks from pipelines have occurred.
Nabarlek (now closed):
• due to the need to reduce the inventory of contaminated mine site waters, evaporation pond water was irrigated over an area adjacent to the mine/mill and led to significant tree deaths and lasting impacts on water quality in the adjacent creek which have taken nearly two decades to flush through.
Can uranium mines be satisfactorily rehabilitated?
The experience of rehabilitating uranium mines to date in Australia is questionable. The first generation of uranium mines from the Cold War, namely Rum Jungle, Radium Hill, Mary Kathleen and the South Alligator group of mines, all still present environmental and radiological management problems and require constant vigilence and maintenance.
Examples include:
• Rum Jungle – despite extensive remediation/rehabilitation works in the early 1980’s, including excavating remnant tailings and disposal into former pits, re-contouring and engineering soil covers over low grade ore and waste rock dumps, acid mine drainage continues to pollute the Finniss River, and the complete site still urgently requires more remediation/rehabilitation works.
• Radium Hill – after being abandoned in early 1962, minimal earth works were undertaken in the early 1980’s, mainly just engineering soil covers over the tailings piles – erosion is a continual problem and tailings requires ongoing maintenance.
• Mary Kathleen – operating in both the Cold War phase of the late 1950’s to mid-1960’s as well as again in the commercial era of the late 1970’s, the mid-1980’s rehabilitation of the mine won an engineering excellence award for its perceived quality – despite internal concerns by the regulators about potential for long-term seepage from the tailings dam. Recent field studies in the late 1990’s have validated this concern and shown ongoing seepage of saline, metal and radionuclide rich waters from the tailings dam – well above the quantities predicted at the time of rehabilitation – impacting on the local creek.
Conclusion;
Overall, the experience to date with uranium mining does not give rise to any sufficient degree of confidence, as past sites – even after significant rehabilitation works – are still showing problems with erosion and seepage and ongoing impacts on water quality.
The proposed mining of Uranium in the Rudall River National Park must cause concern amongst the people who live, and gather food and water from within and near to the park.
From a briefing paper by Gavin M. Mudd for energy science.
http://archiearchive.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/uranium-mining-and-a-national-park-2/
Posted on July 18, 2009
by archiearchive FCD
I am fortunate enough to live in an Australian National Park. The Rudall River National Park in the East Pilbara region of North Western Australia. While not a completely pristine area it retains its natural beauty the hordes of feral camels which run free.
There are two settlements within the park boundaries. I live in Punmu on the North Eastern corner while Parrngurr or Cotton Creek is on the Southern side a couple of salt lakes and 120Km away.
For years jokes have been made about the water at Parrngurr. The fact that there are “sparkles” in it. Not little pieces of mica but little flashes from disintegrating uranium atoms.
The community was settled before it was found that the hill behind it contained the highest grade deposit of uranium in the world. Luckily it is not a large deposit and so is not worth mining.
Unlike the deposit halfway along the road to the Telfer goldmine. Which is big enough to mine.
It is within the National Park. It is so remote that few people will worry about what happens there.
It is upstream from a river which, when in flood, flows North and then West until it reaches the Indian Ocean around eight hundred Kilometres away. During the dry season there are many waterholes left in the river system.
The Oakover River flows into the De Gray. Both abound in swimming holes and fishing spots. In flood there is a huge amount of water flowing down the engorged river bed as you can see with this major road totally cut in half by the Oakover.
But I heard, with my own ears, a representative of the mining company say that there was no chance of any mining pollution getting into that river system.
Of course I believed him.
Just as I believed the Government which designated the area a National Park and beyond the reach of mining activity.
The first in an occasional series(next article is listed below)
http://archiearchive.wordpress.com/2009/07/18/uranium-and-a-national-park/
Uranium Mining and a National Park #2
Posted on July 24, 2009 by archiearchive FCD
“The requirement to manage the radioactive tailings and all other solid wastes to minimise both long-term environmental as well as radiological releases and impacts makes uranium mining fundamentally different to other types of mining.”
“The long-term management of uranium mill tailings present a major environmental challenge. Given the tailings contain most of the original radioactivity of the ore (i.e. the decay products), they must be isolated from the environment for periods of at least tens of thousands of years – a time scale which is beyond collective human experience and certainly challenges engineering approaches for waste containment.” Gavin M. Mudd.
So, what is our record as a nation of Uranium miners?
Ranger:
• despite being expected to operate under a “no-release” water management system, incidents involving misplaced low grade ores or failures in water control bunds have led on numerous occasions to contaminated runoff waters being leaked into adjacent creeks (especially Corridoor Creek, a tributary of Magela Creek).
• in early 2004 incorrect plumbing saw the process water circuit being connected to the potable drinking water circuit – leading to rapid and significant toxic process water being mixed with drinking water, and much of the Ranger workforce being potentially exposed to both acute chemical and radiological exposure.
Olympic Dam:
• after operating for nearly a decade, a major ongoing leak from the tailings dam was revealed, amounting to the loss of billions of litres of tailings water to groundwater.
• in March 1999, and again October 2001, major explosions and fires caused substantive damage to the mill and smelter complexes, including major releases of noxious fumes – though the extent of radiological releases remains highly contentious, the fact that the uranium solvent extraction circuit in the 2001 incident was on fire raises serious concerns about how these incidents are handled by current regulators.
Beverley:
• numerous spills and leaks from pipelines have occurred.
Nabarlek (now closed):
• due to the need to reduce the inventory of contaminated mine site waters, evaporation pond water was irrigated over an area adjacent to the mine/mill and led to significant tree deaths and lasting impacts on water quality in the adjacent creek which have taken nearly two decades to flush through.
Can uranium mines be satisfactorily rehabilitated?
The experience of rehabilitating uranium mines to date in Australia is questionable. The first generation of uranium mines from the Cold War, namely Rum Jungle, Radium Hill, Mary Kathleen and the South Alligator group of mines, all still present environmental and radiological management problems and require constant vigilence and maintenance.
Examples include:
• Rum Jungle – despite extensive remediation/rehabilitation works in the early 1980’s, including excavating remnant tailings and disposal into former pits, re-contouring and engineering soil covers over low grade ore and waste rock dumps, acid mine drainage continues to pollute the Finniss River, and the complete site still urgently requires more remediation/rehabilitation works.
• Radium Hill – after being abandoned in early 1962, minimal earth works were undertaken in the early 1980’s, mainly just engineering soil covers over the tailings piles – erosion is a continual problem and tailings requires ongoing maintenance.
• Mary Kathleen – operating in both the Cold War phase of the late 1950’s to mid-1960’s as well as again in the commercial era of the late 1970’s, the mid-1980’s rehabilitation of the mine won an engineering excellence award for its perceived quality – despite internal concerns by the regulators about potential for long-term seepage from the tailings dam. Recent field studies in the late 1990’s have validated this concern and shown ongoing seepage of saline, metal and radionuclide rich waters from the tailings dam – well above the quantities predicted at the time of rehabilitation – impacting on the local creek.
Conclusion;
Overall, the experience to date with uranium mining does not give rise to any sufficient degree of confidence, as past sites – even after significant rehabilitation works – are still showing problems with erosion and seepage and ongoing impacts on water quality.
The proposed mining of Uranium in the Rudall River National Park must cause concern amongst the people who live, and gather food and water from within and near to the park.
From a briefing paper by Gavin M. Mudd for energy science.
http://archiearchive.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/uranium-mining-and-a-national-park-2/
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The history of uranium mining: doomed to repeat itself
15 July 09
Pick any uranium mine around the world and it will invariably be surrounded by stories of pollution, contamination and the exploitation of local communities: Niger, Namibia, Brazil, Canada, Kazakhstan and Australia.
The country’s ‘Environment Minister Peter Garrett has formally approved the new Four Mile uranium mine in South Australia, saying it poses no environmental risks’.
The premier of South Australian, Mike Rann, welcomed the decision saying operations at the state’s nearby Beverley mine ‘show that uranium can be mined without damaging the surrounding environment’.
Which means neither man can have read the South Australian governments own figures into spills at the Beverley mine. Here are just a few…
Apr. 22, 2006: spill of 14,400 litres of solution containing approx. 0.5% uranium
Oct. 31, 2005: spill of 23,700 litres of mining solution, containing approx. 0.06% uranium
Aug. 8, 2005: spill of 13,500 litres of extraction fluid containing approx. 0.01% uranium
Mar. 7, 2005: spill of 50,000 – 60,000 litres of injection fluid
Dec. 8, 2004: spill of approx. 2,300 litres of mining solution, containing 0.028% uranium
June 13, 2002: spill of 1,750 litres of brine solution
June 7, 2002: spill of 1,500 litres of injection fluid in the well field
May 5, 2002: spill of 14,900 litres of water containing 0.0018% uranium
May 1, 2002: spill of almost 7,000 litres of brine solution containing some uranium
January 11, 2002: spill of 60,000 liters of groundwater containing acid and uranium, after pipe rupture
Fancy the premier of South Australia being so ignorant of such worrying safety violations going on in his own state. …………..
The history of uranium mining: doomed to repeat itself!
http://nuclearnewsaustralia.wordpress.com/
Pick any uranium mine around the world and it will invariably be surrounded by stories of pollution, contamination and the exploitation of local communities: Niger, Namibia, Brazil, Canada, Kazakhstan and Australia.
The country’s ‘Environment Minister Peter Garrett has formally approved the new Four Mile uranium mine in South Australia, saying it poses no environmental risks’.
The premier of South Australian, Mike Rann, welcomed the decision saying operations at the state’s nearby Beverley mine ‘show that uranium can be mined without damaging the surrounding environment’.
Which means neither man can have read the South Australian governments own figures into spills at the Beverley mine. Here are just a few…
Apr. 22, 2006: spill of 14,400 litres of solution containing approx. 0.5% uranium
Oct. 31, 2005: spill of 23,700 litres of mining solution, containing approx. 0.06% uranium
Aug. 8, 2005: spill of 13,500 litres of extraction fluid containing approx. 0.01% uranium
Mar. 7, 2005: spill of 50,000 – 60,000 litres of injection fluid
Dec. 8, 2004: spill of approx. 2,300 litres of mining solution, containing 0.028% uranium
June 13, 2002: spill of 1,750 litres of brine solution
June 7, 2002: spill of 1,500 litres of injection fluid in the well field
May 5, 2002: spill of 14,900 litres of water containing 0.0018% uranium
May 1, 2002: spill of almost 7,000 litres of brine solution containing some uranium
January 11, 2002: spill of 60,000 liters of groundwater containing acid and uranium, after pipe rupture
Fancy the premier of South Australia being so ignorant of such worrying safety violations going on in his own state. …………..
The history of uranium mining: doomed to repeat itself!
http://nuclearnewsaustralia.wordpress.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
