Decommissioning Projects - Other Countries
(last updated 29 Jul 2010)
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(see also Decommissioning Data)
Journalists publish investigation on abandoned open pit mines in Argentina
A team of journalists of the Forum of Argentine Journalism (Fopea) published an exhaustive investigation on open pit mining.
Fopea verified that there are at least 75 abandoned mines left all over the country, ignored by the national government. There are no registries, neither official maps nor data.
But people are living and used to live at these sites.
The investigation team of Fopea visited five abandoned mines in Argentina, among them the former uranium mines of Los Colorados (La Rioja) and Los Adobes (Chubut).
The journalists also discuss the uranium exploration and the imminent reopening of the Sierra Pintada mine in San Rafael (Mendoza), the tailings of which are accumulated in Malargüe.
(Los Andes Feb. 3, 2010)
> El día después de las minas, peligro sin control 
(Foro de Periodismo Argentino - in Spanish)
CNEA releases environmental assessment of reclamation of former uranium mine and mill sites in Argentina
> Download: Proyecto de Restitucion Ambiental de la Mineria del Uranio (PRAMU): EVALUACION AMBIENTAL, Documento Marco, 03 Diciembre de 2005 (in Spanish):
CNEA · World Bank
> Download: Argentina: Uranium mining Environmental restoration Project, Environmental assessment - Executive Summary, January 2006 (in English): World Bank
The Argentinian Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEA) plans to reclaim the former uranium mining sites in the country with the help of a World Bank loan. In a first stage, the efforts shall be concentrated on the site of Malargüe (Mendoza), and in a second stage on Córdoba and Los Gigantes (Córdoba), and others. The total reclamation cost is estimated at US$ 25 million.
On July 31, 2008, the World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a US$30 million loan to support an environmental program designed to assist the Government of Argentina, specifically the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), to meet its legal obligations to remediate closed uranium mines and milling facilities in a permanent manner, consistent with internationally accepted standards for the safe disposal and handling of hazardous materials.
The Mining Environmental Restoration Program will finance investments to remediate the closed uranium processing site in Malargüe, Mendoza, and will provide technical assistance for the planning and engineering design of up to seven additional sites.
Project description:
Argentina-Mining Decontamination Project (World Bank)
Project data (World Bank)
Proyecto de Restitución Ambiental de la Minería del Uranio (PRAMU) (CNEA)
Reclamation work on the Malargüe uranium mill tailings started on March 17, 2003, with preparation of the disposal site for the tailings. The work is co-financed by the World Bank. (Los Andes April 7, June 16, 2003)
> See also: Argentina: Plans for reclamation of uranium mining sites with World Bank loan
> See also: Argentina: Plans for reclamation of uranium mining sites with World Bank loan
(see also Decommissioning Data)
Decommissioning Data
Aerial view: Google Maps 
> See more issues
> See also: Cleanup of Fernald Silos 1 and 2 (Congo high grade tailings), Ohio, USA
Unauthorized mining at former Shinkolobwe uranium mine
DRC court sentences human rights activist to one year imprisonment:
The court in Lubumbashi/Kamalondo sentenced Golden Misabiko, president of the African Association for the Defense of Human Rights (ASADHO) to one year imprisonment, suspended for eight months, APA notes here.
He was charged with endangering the security of the state. The defendant, Golden Misabiko was arrested in August and brought to justice by the provincial government of Katanga.
After a stormy trial, the court convicted him on the offense of publishing false information with intent to harm.
The eight-month suspended sentence imposed on Mr. Misabiko will take effect after four months of detention at Kasapa Central Prison, the court said.
(APA Sep. 23, 2009)
The jailed president of a human rights group in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been freed on bail because of poor health, his association said on Monday (Aug. 24).
Golden Misabiko, an outspoken critic of the role of state agencies in a uranium mine in the southeastern province of Katanga, appeared in court on August 20 charged with "spreading false rumours inciting the population to rebellion."
He was freed on bail at the request of his lawyers, who said his health had deteriorated since he was picked up by intelligence agents on July 24 in Lubumbashi, the provincial capital.
(IOL Aug. 24, 2009)
On Aug. 17, 2009, the NGO Global Witness appealed to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to release human rights activist Golden Misabiko without delay ahead of a court hearing due to take place on Wednesday (Aug. 19). Misabiko has remained in detention for over three weeks in relation to the recent publication of a report, despite repeated calls for his release by Congolese and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Congolese Foreign Minister Alexis Thambwe-Mwamba says Misabiko is no longer in detention and is now "at the disposal" of justice officials "seeking clarification" of his statements.
Mwamba says Misabiko is being questioned because he told local and international media the government in Kinshasa was selling uranium to North Korea.
(VOA Aug. 12, 2009)
During her visit to Goma on Aug. 11, 2009, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised the case of imprisoned human rights activist Golden Misabiko with Congolese Foreign Minister Alexis Thambwe-Mwamba. When asked why Misabiko has been detained, Thambwe-Mwamba said "we would like to have some clarification on the statements he made."
(Bloomberg Aug. 11, 2009)
More than 200 NGOs have asked President Joseph Kabila to free a human rights activist who had reported on illegal uranium mining in the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
"We ask for your intervention (...) to obtain the release of Mr Golden Misabiko," the 221 non-governmental organisations said in a letter to Kabila, a copy of which was sent to AFP.
Misabiko, president of the African Association for the Defence of Human Rights (Asadho) in Katanga province, was picked up by intelligence agents on July 24 and taken to the court premises in the provincial capital, Lubumbashi, where he is still being held.
On July 13, Asadho had published a report on a uranium mine at Shinkolobwe, covering both artisanal mining there for copper and a deal signed between the DR Congo and French nuclear group Areva.
Asadho had denounced the roles played by some state institutions during the working of the Shinkolobwe mine, where all activities officially came to an end in 2004.
(Moneybiz Aug. 4, 2009)
On July 24, 2009, Golden Misabiko, president of ASADHO/Katanga was arrested in Lumbumbashi for releasing the report on illicit mining at Shinkolobwe. Misabiko was arrested by members of the secret service Agence nationale de renseignements (ANR). He has been accused of endangering the security of the state and of making defamatory statements.
(AFP July 26, 2009)
On July 12, 2009, the human rights association ASADHO/Katanga issued a report on the history of illicit mining at Shinkolobwe:
Mine uranifère de Shinkolobwe : D’une exploitation artisanale illicite à l’accord entre la RD Congo et le groupe nucléaire français AREVA, Juillet 2009 (1.1MB PDF - in French)
Security forces have seized at least 300 tons of copper and cobalt ore illegally mined in a uranium-rich part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the army and local officials said.
"In all, 6,000 sacks of heterogenite have been seized near the Shinkolobwe site", a uranium mine that has been shut down since 1960, an army officer told AFP, asking not to be named. The DRC's heterogenite contains unprocessed copper and cobalt, often worked by artisanal miners. Industry sources said that mineral smugglers use sacks of either 50 or 100 kilograms, which means the total announced haul in the southeastern Katanga province is between 300 and 600 tons of ore deposit.
(AFP Apr. 11, 2008)
On July 20, 2006, a team of experts monitoring a U.N. arms embargo on the Democratic Republic of Congo said they found ample signs of "artisan mining" by small groups of private individuals during a recent visit.
Local police and residents told them "local agents of the mining police and of the National Intelligence Agency not only encourage but also charge fees from the miners," the experts said in a report to the U.N. Security Council.
"These observations stand in stark contrast to the assurances given to the Group of Experts by officials of the Ministry of Mines and of the National Intelligence Agency," the experts said.
"They assured the group that the mine is secured and that no artisan mining is taking place," their report said.
(Reuters July 20, 2006)
U.N. investigators are to measure contamination and radiation at the Shinkolobwe uranium mine which partially collapsed in July 2004, killing at least nine people. The five-member team will spend Oct. 24 - Nov. 4, 2004, at the mine, where miners continue to dig illegally for valuable copper and cobalt compounds, U.N. spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said. (Reuters Oct. 22, 2004)
During their site visit between Oct. 25 and Nov. 4, 2004, UN investigators found no artisanal miners active on-site. Following the evacuation of the mining site in early August 2004, the adjacent village had been destroyed. "No immediate risks to the environment were observed," said Alain Pasche of the UN assessment team, "though we have taken samples of water, soil and sediments, which will be further analysed in Switzerland for heavy metal concentration." (UN Nov. 9, 2004)
> Download reports of the UN Joint Environment Unit on the Shinkolobwe Mine collapse (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
Since 1997, 6000 miners are entering the former Shinkolobwe mine site each day without authorization. They have excavated a huge open pit next to the former uranium mine, which had been flooded after it was mined out. The miners are interested in cobalt rather than uranium. However, uranium could also be extracted from the ore. In view of the possibility of uranium being extracted and circulated without any control, the United States have demanded the DR Congo government to regain control over the mine site. In January 2004, president Joseph Kabila has decided to interdict access to the mine site. Two months later, no effect could be observed yet.
(Le Monde Mar. 24, 2004)
By the end of May, illicit mining at the site was observed to continue uninhibitedly. (AP May 31, 2004)
On July 9, 2004, at least eight miners digging the former Shinkolobwe mine illegally were killed when the mine collapsed. (AP July 12, 2004)
The 15,000 miners now working the Shinkolobwe mine without authorization from the government risk contracting cancer and developing other health problems because of high radiation levels at the site, concluded investigators from the U.N. mission in Congo.
Privatizing the mine could bring illicit mining under control, suggested U.N. investigators, who launched their inquiry earlier this month after part of the mine caved in, killing seven miners.
U.N. authorities "recommended that this mine be secured and put in the charge of a private operation for much more disciplined operations, with the aim of avoiding risks including the high rate of radioactivity ... and uranium trafficking with those who shouldn't get it in their hands," U.N. mission spokesman Alexandre Essome said.
(AP July 20, 2004)
On July 16, 2004, district authorities of Haut Katanga prevented an investigation initiated by the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), known by its French acronym MONUC, from accessing the site of a uranium mine in Shinkolobwe.
(IRIN July 21, 2004)
> View: Decommissioning Data
> View: more recent issues
Areva to set up health institute to monitor health of former uranium miners in Gabon
The French group Areva plans to set up a health institute to check the effect of uranium mining on its former workers in Gabon, according to health director Alain Acker.
Following the appearances of some strange ailments in the Mounana, the group decided to monitor some 1,056 of its ex-workers to determine whether exposure to radiation during the uranium mining process has any effect on them.
Acker said the health institute would be established in a few weeks.
(Pana Apr. 17, 2010)
Toxic waste dumped on former Mounana uranium mine site?
The elected officials of Mounana accuse a subcontractor of the former uranium mining company COMUF to have dumped toxic waste on the former mine site. The accusations are denied by the authorities and those involved.
According to first town councillor Rodrigue Bokoko, the waste originates from the Centre international de recherche médicale de Franceville (CIRMF) and was dumped by the company Geofor.
(L'Express Feb. 9, 2010)
The NGO Croissance Saine Environnement has demanded a board of inquiry into the subject matter.
(L'Express Feb. 11, 2010)
Survey still identifies elevated radiation levels around decommissioned Mounana uranium mine site
In May 2009, French journalist Dominique Hennequin, assisted by the radiation laboratory CRIIRAD, took gamma radiation readings and collected soil samples in the area of the former Mounana uranium mine. The results are showing that elevated radiation levels are still found at various locations. The soil samples showed levels up to 50 times background. In a forest, even abandoned uranium mill tailings were located.
> Download: Note CRIIRAD N°09-118: Contamination radiologique relevée en 2009 sur l’ancien site minier uranifère de COMUF-AREVA à Mounana (GABON), 7 décembre 2009 (350k PDF - in French)
> Public Sénat TV documentary Dec. 7, 2009: Uranium, l'héritage empoisonné (in French)
Areva and NGOs conclude agreement on health monitoring around uranium mine sites
On June 19, 2009, Areva and the NGOs Sherpa and Médecins Du Monde concluded an agreement to establish health monitoring stations around Areva's uranium mining sites and a "pluralistic group" for health monitoring.
> View Areva release June 19, 2009 (in French)
> View Sherpa release June 19, 2009 (in French)
> View CRIIRAD's comments, June 18, 2009 (in French)
Areva establishes local information commission at Mounana
On April 2, 2009, Areva established a Commission locale d'information (CLI) on radiation at Mounana, where Areva used to mine uranium for 40 years. The commission comprises representatives of Areva, regional administration, mayor's office, former employees, NGOs, mining ministry, health ministry, envrionmental ministry and the press.
At present, the French group has resumed prospection with the perspective of relaunching uranium mining in the area (view details).
(Xinhua Apr. 3, 2009)
NGOs denounce health and environmental situation at Areva's former Mounana uranium mine, Gabon
On April 4, 2007, the organisations SHERPA , CRIIRAD and Médecins du Monde presented the results of an investigation into the health and environmental situation at Areva/COGEMA's former Mounana uranium mine. The resulting report is based on a site tour in June 2006, and evidence of former miners, among others. In summary, CRIIRAD concludes:
- During the active mining phase, protection of the workers was not assured appropriately.
- The follow-up of the health of the former miners is inadquate.
- In Mounana, several buildings were constructed with radioactive material, some of these buildings had to be demolished.
- More than 2 million t of uranium mill tailings were simply released into a river between 1961 and 1975, presenting a long-term health hazard.
- The reclamation of the site was done in a totally inadequate way.
> View related documents available from CRIIRAD (in French)
> Download AREVA AU GABON, Rapport d’enquête sur la situation des travailleurs de la COMUF, filiale gabonaise du groupe AREVA-COGEMA, 4 avril 2007 (474k PDF - in French)
The inglorious legacy of COGEMA in Gabon
From 1961 to 1999, COGEMA's subsidiary COMUF produced nearly 28,000 tonnes of uranium at Mounana, Gabon.
During the first years of operation, COMUF simply released a total of over 2 million tonnes of uranium mill tailings into the next creek. This creek, the Ngamaboungou, then carried them over kilometers to the Mitembe river. Later, another 4 million tonnes of tailings were dumped in the former open pit mine. Only in 1990, COMUF built a dam to hold the tailings produced during the last years of operation. It has received, however, only the small remainder of the total of nearly 7 million tonnes of tailings.
The mine and mill effluents led to high contaminant concentrations even in the Mitembe river, and dead fish were often observed in the river. In 1996/1997, still, levels of up to 3.2 Bq/l of soluble radium-226 and 1.7 mg/l of soluble uranium-238 were found in the river water. After shutdown of the mine in 1999, these values are reported to have decreased to below 0.7 Bq/l for radium, and below 0.1 mg/l for uranium (for comparison: WHO recommends 0.015 mg/l for uranium in drinking water).
The acidic effluent released to the Ngamaboungou creek was not even neutralized, though a neutralization plant had been constructed; but, it was never operated, since the cost of importing the necessary lime would have been prohibitive. In the creek valley, the tailings deposited on the river bed, forming a reservoir for long-term re-mobilization of contaminants. The tailings moreover formed deposits in the valley, presenting a hazard from external radiation and from resuspension of radioactive dust. COMUF calculated that residents crossing the valley to reach their plantations have received annual radiation doses between 2.3 and 2.9 mSv per year. After covering some of the material, the radiation doses are expected to decrease to 0.8 mSv per year.
The tailings dumped in the open pit were left without a cover for long years; children used to play on the dusty surface without being told about the hazards.
The tailings dam built in 1990 was erected across the Ngamaboungou creek, without providing an - elsewhere mandatory - diversion channel for the creek: the creek is flowing through the dam still (!), leaving it via an overflow, without any treatment.
Recently, a large part of the waste piled up at the Ngamaboungou creek has been covered with soil. The mayor of Mounana, however, anticipates that the cover will not last longer than a few years, given the extremely high precipitation rate in the area.
The currently ongoing reclamation works are being paid for by the tax payers of the European Union, rather than by COGEMA: Since 1997, Gabon has been receiving a total of over EUR 50 million in aids for the development of its mining sector. Of this amount, EUR 7 million were diverted by the Gabon mining ministry for the reclamation works at Mounana. It is no surprise that this diversion, at least, worked well: the mining minister of Gabon is a former COMUF director.
(WOZ Wochenzeitung, Zürich, No.30, July 22, 2004)
> Download Gabon: Unregulated Mining Endangers Lives (32k PDF - WISE/NIRS Nuclear Monitor 616, 1 Oct. 2004)
> for details and photo gallery see: The inglorious legacy of COGEMA in Gabon - Decommissioning of the Mounana uranium mine and mill site
Decommissioning Data
The site has been exploited by open cast mining by French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA ) between 1937 and 1954. A monitoring survey of the abandoned mine site and its vicinity revealed radiation doses from gamma radiation and radon 13 times "normal" exposure. The gamma dose rate varies between 250 and 1466 nGy/h, corresponding to annual equivalent dose rates of 2.19 - 12.85 mSv/a.
Source: Radiation Dose Assessment in the Vicinity of an Old Uranium Mine: Case of the site of Vatovory, Vinaninkarena Antsirabe, Madagascar, by: Raoelina Andriambololona, H. F. Randriantseheno, J.F. Ratovonjanahary, J.L.R. Zafimanjato, J.B. Ratovoson, H.N. Rabenandrasana, in: 11th International Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association - IRPA 11 , Madrid, Spain, 23-28 May 2004
Old West Rand mines to be used as temporary storage for acid mine drainage to protect Johannesburg
Briefing the parliamentary portfolio committee on water and the environment in Randfontein yesterday (July 28), executives from the Rand Uranium mining company said it planned to use the mines under the city as a storage facility for the toxic water.
The second step will be to build a submersible pump in the province's central basin - stretching from Germiston to Roodepoort - to pump the acid mine drainage to a plant to treat it.
"This will be to buy time while we come up with long-term solutions. Step three will be to build a sophisticated water treatment plant that will produce potable water that could be sold to water authorities," CEO John Munro said.
Toxic water has already started to seep out of mines in the province's western basin, and is posing a hazard to residents and the environment.
But the central basin is already threatening to overflow. The toxic water level is 600 m under the city and, should it rise to the surface in 18 months as predicted, the acid water will eat away at the concrete and steel in high-rise building foundations and cause sinkholes.
Munro said his company spent R2-million [US$ 271,640] a month treating 12 megalitres of acid mine drainage a day, but 10 megalitres of untreated toxic water was still flowing into the Krugersdorp Game Reserve and the Tweelopies Spruit every day.
(Times Live July 29, 2010)
Rising acid mine water could be 'catastrophic' for Johannesburg
Millions of litres of highly acidic mine water is rising up under Johannesburg and, if left unchecked, could spill out into its streets some 18 months from now, Parliament's water affairs portfolio committee heard on Wednesday (July 21).
The acid water is currently about 600 metres below the city's surface, but is rising at a rate of between 0.6 and 0.9 metres a day, water affairs deputy director water quality management Marius Keet told MPs.
"[It] can have catastrophic consequences for the Johannesburg central business district if not stopped in time. A new pumping station and upgrades to the high-density sludge treatment works are urgently required to stop disaster," he warned.
Keet said the problem was not just confined to Johannesburg, which is located atop one of several major mining "basins" in the Witwatersrand, known as the Central Basin.
On stopping the growing threat below Johannesburg, Keet said about R220-million [US$ 29 million] was needed to establish pump stations, pipelines and treatment works.
(Mining Weekly July 21, 2010)
South Africa's government commits to address toxic mine run-off on the Witwatersrand
A coalition of environmental scientists and research teams yesterday forced the government's hand in addressing 120 years of water pollution through acid mine drainage on the Witwatersrand.
The coalition, which had been on the verge of taking legal action against the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs, said it would reconsider that option after it was given a commitment yesterday that "this is going to be a matter of national priority and will also be run via the National Treasury and the Department of Mineral Resources".
The coalition met with Mbangiseni Nepfumbada (the acting deputy director of policy and regulation at the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs) and toured the western Witwatersrand basin, which includes areas such as Randfontein, Krugersdorp, Kagiso and Western Areas.
The tour revealed that several areas were flooded with acid mine water, which was now flowing on the surface, causing the Tweelopiespruit to be acutely toxic.
(Business Report June 14, 2010)
River of acid mine water threatening Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site?
A massive study is under way to investigate the impact of toxic acid mine water and other dangerous sources of pollution to the world-famous Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.
It is here where the nearly two million-year-old hominid skeleton, Australopithecus sediba, was discovered two years ago, and unveiled to global wonder last week.
But in recent years, several scientists have slammed authorities for failing to protect ancient hominid fossils, including the Sterkfontein Caves. These are made of dolomite rock and vulnerable to acidic water from historic mining operations on the West Rand.
Peter Mills, the acting director of research and planning at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, told the Saturday Star the management authority had commissioned the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Council for Geosciences "to understand the flow of water through the Cradle".
(Saturday Star Apr. 17, 2010)
South African miners get subsidy to treat acid-mine drainage
South Africa's Department of Water Affairs announced on Thursday (Mar. 18) that it had made a R6.9 million subsidy available to assist the mines with the toxic tide of acid mine drainage (AMD) currently decanting in the west rand of Johannesburg.
The subsidy would be used to increase the pumping and treatment capacity of Rand Uranium's and Mintails' water treatment plants, and assist with dosing of the overflow AMD before it entered the water systems in the area.
Rand Uranium CEO John Munro said that the overflow would be dosed with calcium carbonate and calcium hydroxide to partially treat the water before it entered the Krugersdorp Game Reserve.
However, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica noted that this was only an interim solution, as the water still contained high levels of sulphates.
(Mining Weekly Mar. 18, 2010)
Government, mining companies agree on public-private partnership to deal with acid mine water overflow from abandoned West Rand mines
The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) and mining companies have agreed on a model to deal with the Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) challenge that is affecting the Western, Central and Eastern Basins (the Witwatersrand gold fields area).
A non-profit making entity will be set up in a public-private partnership to collect and treat the mine water.
In the meantime, interim measures will be implemented to control decanting from the Western Basin and the anticipated decant from the Central basin. These measures include immediate maximization of pumping and treatment at existing facilities in the Western basin; and utilizing temporary storage facilities to contain any overflows.
(Federation for a Sustainable Environment Feb. 12, 2010)
Acid mine water started overflowing from abandoned West Rand mines; environmental disaster is taking its course
After 120 years of gold mining at the West Rand, thousands of litres of acidic mine water started overflowing from an old ventilation shaft yesterday (Jan. 26). Mariette Liefferink, director of the Federation for a Sustainable Environment, said that non-governmental organizations and ordinary people have warned the government and the mine about the looming crisis for five years. "Nobody listened and now it is too late." She said the tragedy is immeasurable and the environmental damage irreparable.
(Beeld Jan. 27, 2010)
Acid mine water build-up in abandoned West Rand mines reaches surface with one centimetre to spare; environmental disaster waiting to happen
The Federation for a Sustainable Environment is considering taking the government to court to force it to manage the acid water in abandoned West Rand mines. According to a Beeld report, the situation is now critical.
The 45 million cubic metres of mine cavities mined over 120 years at the West Rand have been gradually filling with millions of litres of water. The water is now just a centimetre from the surface, according to the environmental manager of Rand Uranium, Sarel Keller. If the acid water reaches the surface (possibly to happen within days), it could cause an environmental disaster, he warned.
(Legal Brief Jan. 19, 2010; Beeld Jan. 18, 2010)
Monitoring data confirms uranium contamination from abandoned mines in the Wonderfonteinspruit catchment area
"[...] This paper explores the impacts mining over the past decade had on U-pollution of water resources in the Wonderfonteinspruit catchment. The analysis is mainly based on close to 3400, mostly unpublished, values on U-concentrations of water samples gathered between 1997 and 2008. Results indicate that U-levels in water resources of the whole catchment increased markedly since 1997 even though U-loads emitted by some large gold mines in the Far West Rand were reduced. This apparent contradiction is explained by the contribution of highly polluted water decanting from the flooded mine void in the West Rand. Over the reference period, an average of some 3.5 t of dissolved U have been released into the fluvial system from monitored discharge points alone. However, since Wonderfonteinspruit dries up well before it joins the Mooi River this U-load does not usually impact on the water supply system of downstream Potchefstroom directly. It may, however, indirectly reach Potchefstroom since much of the water from the Wonderfonteinspruit recharges the underlying karst aquifer of the Boskop Turffontein Compartment as the single most important water resource for Potchefstroom. [...]"
Uranium pollution of water resources in mined-out and active goldfields of South Africa - a case study in the Wonderfonteinspruit catchment on extent and sources of U-contamination and associated health risks , by Frank Winde, in: Proceedings, International Mine Water Conference, 19-23 Oct. 2009, Pretoria, South Africa, p.772-781 (180k PDF)
Proposed processing of Gauteng acid mine drainage into drinking water draws opposition
One of the options for dealing with Acid mine drainage (AMD) being debated is the Western Utilities Corporation (WUC) project. WUC was commissioned by relevant mining companies in the affected areas to develop a holistic, integrated plan for the treatment of the AMD in the three geological structural basins in Gauteng.
The company developed a five-point plan that includes securing sufficient AMD to feed large-scale water treatment plants on an ongoing basis; the investigation and selection of suitable technology to treat AMD to produce drinking and industrial water, complying with all legal requirements; securing long-term, large-scale users for the drinking and industrial water produced; and raising funding for the project.
The WUC plan envisages the start of plant construction in 2010, with generation of first product early in 2011.
However, water specialist Dr Anthony Turton says that the WUC deal will lock the country into a suboptimal solution. He notes that no process removes 100% of the impurities in AMD 100% of the time.
He suggests that the mine void be used for alternative strategic storage. "This will manage evaporative losses better and will also change the cost-to-benefit ratio of the AMD process, while still protecting the environment, but, more importantly, it will also prevent the human consumption of what is very bad water. It is imprudent to use anything but the best quality feedstock for potable water."
"However, this will not generate the revenues that WUC needs to meet its investors' obligations and this is the only reason why WUC insists it must be sold for drinking purposes. This is our only point of disagreement."
(Mining Weekly Oct. 9, 2009)
Toxic and radioactive mine water poses health nightmare for up to 1000 residents in informal settlements near Johannesburg
Greenbelts, dams, wetlands and a canal that hundreds of people in an informal settlement use for washing, have been identified as radioactive or toxic - within 100km of South Africa's biggest city.
Fifteen sites close to Johannesburg have been named in a 210-page report as being toxic. Some register radiation levels 200 times the legal limit.
However, the pollution could be far worse than the report suggests, according to one of the authors, Professor Frank Winde. He said the document should be used as a basis for further studies.
The report, dated April 30, is circulating in scientific circles and calls for "immediate action" in affected areas. It was compiled by international experts for the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and the National Nuclear Regulator .
One of the authors has called for an operation to save informal communities - estimated to house up to 1000 people - who are using contaminated water at the sites.
Health experts are doing tests in affected areas to assess the exact risks. The hot spots are all part of the Mooi River system and its two main tributaries, the Wonderfonteinspruit and the Loopspruit, west of Johannesburg, in an area that was once the gold mining capital of the world.
Although many are on mine property that is closed to the public, some of the dams have overflowed on to farmland, and others are used by adjacent communities.
These sites include the Tudor Dam near Mogale City and a canal flowing from the West Driefontein gold mine, near Carletonville.
The government says mine companies are mostly liable for the cost of the clean-up. Water Affairs spokesman Marius Keet said a task team would "consider the worst affected sights ... and remediation will then get under way".
Environmental problems west of Johannesburg are largely the result of contaminated sediment and water, collectively called acid mine drainage. When mines close they quickly fill with ground water, which becomes contaminated with uranium, and this spills into river systems.
In the past, pumps kept gold mines largely free of water because most water was pumped to the surface into treatment plants. Now many of the mines have closed or can no longer afford to keep pumping.
(The Times, Johannesburg, July 18, 2009)
Toxic water filling abandoned Randfontein gold/uranium mines may reach surface
Disputes between government and mining companies over the cost of cleaning up the toxic water caused by mining have led to the rapid rise in the water level following the partial closure of a water treatment plant outside Randfontein.
The toxic tide, called acid mine drainage (AMD), has filled an underground void called the Western Basin, which covers hundreds of square kilometres between Krugersdorp and Randfontein.
Department of Water and Environmental Affairs regional director for Gauteng Marius Keet tells Mining Weekly that the water level in the basin has reached a very critical level at 0.6 m below the surface. "It has the potential to start decanting at any moment. The decant of AMD into the Tweelopies Spruit would sterilise the total system downstream."
(Mining Weekly July 10, 2009)
South African Government releases Remediation Action Plan for the Wonderfonteinspruit Catchment Area
From the executive summary:
"... a team of specialists was appointed to advise the authorities on the prioritisation of the Areas of Intervention for which remediation is required. The Specialists Task Team went through a process of identifying 36 Areas of
Intervention by focusing on sites that could be impacted on by water-borne radioactive material within the Wonderfonteinspruit catchment and could potentially be a public health hazard." [...]
"The strategic approach adopted for this report involves a categorisation of sites into 5 categories." [...]
"Fifteen sites fall into Category 1 where there is no reason to delay immediate action, of which the Lancaster Dam (MP46) is the most urgent."
Wonderfonteinspruit Catchment Area: Remediation Action Plan, Final Draft Report , prepared for the Department Water Affairs and Forestry and the National Nuclear Regulator, by Dr. Martin van Veelen et al., April 2009 (6.6MB PDF)
Draft Regional Mine Closure Strategies issued for comment
Following the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) initiated the Sustainable Development through Mining (SDM) programme. The DME is assisted in this regard by the Council for Geoscience (CGS) , the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Mintek .
The development of regional mine closure strategies was initiated as part of the SDM programme. The first series of the draft regional mine closure strategies is being put forward for public review from December 2008 to 31 January 2009.
> Download Draft Regional Mine Closure Strategies documents (CGS)
South African government denies health hazard from contaminated water in the Wonderfonteinspruit catchment area - despite scientific evidence presented at international conference
According to press reports, the Department of Water Affairs claimed on Sep. 17, 2008, that "radioactive waste outside mining areas in the catchment of the Wonderfonteinspruit poses no risk to the public, according to experts." The experts had been brought in by the department and the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR). (IOL, Sep. 17, 2008)
However, just one day earlier, scientific evidence of such health hazard had been presented at an international conference:
"Abstract. Real and perceived risks due to gold and uranium mining in the West Rand and Far West Rand goldfields of South Africa have led to intense and sometimes heated public debate. In this context, it is critical to present results of such investigations carefully in a neutral format. The format for reporting in the current study was that of a Tier-II risk assessment, as routinely implemented by the US EPA. Sources, release and fate and transport mechanisms have been investigated and integrated with identified pathways to the local communities. An unacceptable level of risk has been identified, primarily due to the chemical toxicity of uranium on ingestion via drinking water." [emphasis added]
Risk Assessment of Uranium in Selected Gold Mining Areas in South Africa, by Peter Wade and Henk Coetzee, Council for Geoscience, paper presented at Uranium Mining and Hydrogeology V , Freiberg (Sachsen), Germany Sep. 14-18, 2008
Regulator denies water and foodstuffs in the Wonderfonteinspruit catchment area are radioactive - despite scientific reports
The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) sought yesterday to allay concern about radioactive contamination of water and foodstuffs in the Wonderfonteinspruit catchment area.
CE Maurice Magugumela disputed reports that vegetables and fish from west of Johannesburg tested for radiological contamination exceeding internationally acceptable benchmarks.
He said the products were safe to eat but this is contradicted by several scientific reports submitted on the radiological status of the area - one a report commissioned by the NNR and conducted by the Nuclear Energy Corporation of SA. An observer said the denials suggested a whitewash of the looming crisis in the area.
"The NNR has a statutory duty to protect the population. If it states that there is a problem it would be tantamount to admission of a dereliction of duty," the source said.
(Business Day Feb. 8, 2008)
Excessive concentrations of radioactive substances found in vegetables grown near South African gold/uranium mines
Radioactive levels three times higher than permitted have been found in vegetables grown in wetlands in the Wonderfonteinspruit area between Randfontein and Potchefstroom, Beeld newspaper reported on Feb. 2, 2008.
It cited what it described as "shocking revelations" on Feb. 1, 2008, in a report by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) drawn up at the request of the National Nuclear Regulator some time back, but only released now.
The newspaper said tests on asparagus, oats and onions produced in the Gerhard Minne wetlands showed that the level of radioactive substances was three times higher than the safe permissible level for human consumption.
Pointing out that intensive gold mining takes place in the area - and that uranium as a by-product is found in mine dumps there - the news report said large tracts of land in the area of the Wonderfonteinspruit were 150 times more radioactive than the permitted level.
It quoted an unidentified spokesperson for the National Nuclear Regulator as saying that the test results in the report were worrying.
(Independent Online Feb. 2, 2008)
Excerpt from the Technical Report:
5.3 Results of dose calculations
[...] The doses calculated for "realistic" exposure pathways range over four orders of magnitude from about 0.01 mSv to 138 mSv per annum. For approximately 50% of the 47 sampling sites, the calculated incremental doses of the respective critical group are above 1 mSv per annum. [...]
[...] the exposure pathways that are specified as "potential" may significantly contribute to incremental doses at some sites. After taking them into account, at approximately 75% of the 47 sites the calculated incremental doses of the respective critical group are above 1 mSv per annum. [...]
> Download summary report:
Wonderfonteinspruit Catchment Area Public Report, Results and Corrective Actions ,
National Nuclear Regulator, WCA Report, No. TR-NTNS-07-0001, 23 p., (8.7MB PDF)
> Download full report:
Radiological Impacts of the Mining Activities to the Public in the Wonderfonteinspruit Catchment Area, National Nuclear Regulator, No. TR-RRD-07-0006, 12 July 2007:
South African gold/uranium mines causing excessive uranium concentrations in streams and stream sediments
Large gold-mining companies operating to the west of South Africa's commercial centre, Johannesburg, stand accused of contaminating a number of water sources with radioactive pollutants.
One case involves the Wonderfontein Spruit ("water course", in Afrikaans): a stream that runs 90 kilometres from the outskirts of Johannesburg to the south-west past the towns of Krugersdorp, Bekkersdal, Carletonville and Khutsong, before flowing into the Mooi River near Potchefstroom.
Mariette Liefferink, an environmental activist, blames the mines for the high concentrations of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, copper cobalt and zinc in the waters of the spruit. She is particularly troubled by the levels of uranium, which gives off radioactive by-products such as polonium and lead.
"The Wonderfontein Spruit is of major concern to us because every year the gold mines discharge 50 tonnes of uranium into the receiving water course. The Water Research Commission (a parastatal research body) has found that there are approximately 1,100 milligrammes per kilogramme [sediment] of uranium in the upper Wonderfontein Spruit, and 900 milligrammes per kilogramme [sediment] in the lower Wonderfontein Spruit area."
[These concentrations are by far higher than those in the ores mined in the area!]
In 2002, acidic water began decanting out of a disused mine on Randfontein Estates about 42 kilometres south-west of Johannesburg. The property belonged at that time to Harmony Gold.
Water coming out of the disused mine in Randfontein could not simply be channelled into the nearest river because it was far too acidic and could have had serious consequences for the environment.
As an emergency measure, Harmony fed the water into Robinson Lake, at that time a popular recreational area where fishing was a favourite pastime. Today the lake has very high levels of uranium and a pH level of 2.2, which makes it as acidic as lemon juice and completely incapable of sustaining any life forms.
The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) measured in the water a uranium concentration of 16 milligrammes per litre, obliging it to declare Robinson Lake a radiation area.
[this is 800 times the 20 micrograms per litre drinking water standard applicable in many countries!]
(Inter Press Service Dec. 3, 2007)
Regulator withholds report on serious contamination of water and food from mining activities in Gauteng
Meat, fish, milk, maize and other crops produced near Wonderfontein Spruit in Gauteng are probably harmful to people as they are seriously contaminated by, among others, radioactive pollutants.
This pollution, resulting from overflow from sludge dams during 100 years of mining, affects the area between Randfontein and Potchefstroom, where more than 400,000 people live.
International experts say people who eat or drink these products could suffer liver or kidney failure or get cancer. It could also hamper children's growth and cause mental disability.
According to findings in a report compiled by German physicists under Dr Rainer Barthel from Brenk Systemplanung's South African subsidiary BS Associates Ltd, the water from the Wonderfontein Spruit, which was used to irrigate the crops, had absorbed polonium and lead, the radioactive by products of uranium and radium.
Cattle drinking from the Wonderfontein Spruit that churned up the uranium-rich mud, were also contaminated by these radioactive pollutants. Their meat and milk would also probably be poisonous.
People in towns in this area received their drinking water from Rand Water, but people on farms and informal settlements were reliant on water from Wonderfontein Spruit.
The report was compiled on request of the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR), who refused to make the contents known for the past three months. Maurice Magugumela, chief official of the NNR, upon enquiry said "there is no reason for concern".
Barthel was prevented from delivering two speeches from the report at the Environmin 2007 conference held on July 22 - 26, 2007, titled "Radiological Risks of cattle watering at polluted surface water bodies in the Wonderfonteinspruit catchment area", and "Radiological impact assessment of mining activities in the Wonderfonteinspruit catchment area". He had to withdraw these speeches at short notice.
Sandy Carroll, environmental manager at Harmony Gold Mining Co. Limited , admitted that the mining groups were informed about the dangers indicated in the report. She said Harmony was talking to NNR and they were together seeking solutions.
The West Rand district municipality planned to erect notices warning people along the Wonderfontein Spruit (which runs for 100 km) not to use the water.
Carroll replied in an e-mail to Beeld's enquiries: "Alternative water sources will be suggested."
The report stressed that there was no natural water in the whole area that was safe for use by humans, animals or plants.
(News24 July 31, 2007)
Effort needed to stop poisoning of water from old mines
A water expert says a major and broad-based effort is required to stop the poisoning of water supplies in parts of Gauteng by old mines. Concerns are growing about a number of toxins, including radioactive uranium, finding their way into Gauteng's groundwater.
The Eastern and Western catchment areas of the Vaal Dam are already receiving toxic water from old mines.
Gary Small, a hydrogeologist, says this problem is potentially serious and so large that not one organisation can deal with it. "This is a kind of disaster that could happen that requires the kind of response that we saw with the Tsunami. We need a spontaneous, collaborative effort to sort this thing out."
(South African Broadcasting Corporation, March 01, 2005)
No need for reclamation of gold/uranium mill tailings?
In a paper given on Oct. 4, 2001, at ICEM'01 Denis G. Wymer of the Chamber of Mines of South Africa presented environmental monitoring data for the radiological impact from the gold/uranium mining industry and its wastes.
These data were used to calculate doses for members of the public.
"[...] It is concluded from these results that the impact of gold mining operations on the environment is small, and will not cause any member of the public to receive a radiation dose more than about 10% of the public dose limit. Current rehabilitation measures for tailings are mainly limited to vegetation and reworking of slopes. It is unlikely that the costs of constructing radon barriers would ever be justified on the basis of the minimal dose reduction benefits that could be achieved. Some measures to control surface water pollution may continue to be necessary but, from present knowledge, contamination of ground water is unlikely to be of concern. [...]" (excerpt from the abstract)
Government puts mining companies on notice to ensure groundwater pumping at bancrupt Hartebeestfontein gold/uranium mine
The recent liquidation of DRDGold's Hartebeestfontein and Buffelsfontein gold mines means someone has to take responsibility for pumping 28-million litres of water a day out of an underground lake to prevent downstream mines from flooding.
AngloGold, whose Ashanti operation is downhill from DRDGold's mines, says it will cost it R85-million [US $13.8 million] a year if it has to take over the pumping responsibilities. Moreover, the pumping facilities 1km underground are in such a bad state of repair that steel pipes carrying water to the surface could "blow any day now" if repairs are not carried out soon. James Duncan, spokesperson for DRDGold, said it was ridiculous to expect a bankrupt mine to continue bearing the responsibility of pumping to keep other mines profitable, while deriving no benefit.
The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry has put the squabbling mines on notice to find a solution within two weeks, or else the government would institute one for them.
(The Star April 12, 2005)
Windblown dust still an issue at Randfontein tailings
Harmony Gold invested Rand 2.5 million (US$ 382,650) during 2007 in an effort to control dust pollution at its Randfontein operations.
In 2006, the company had spent Rand 4.7 million (US$ 719,380), after the company received complaints from Randfontein residents, that the dust from the mine dumps constituted a nuisance and a health hazard.
The average dust fall-out, at ten sampling stations in Randfontein, was about 500 milligrams per square metre and day in 2005, before dust suppression measures were implemented. The average dust fall-out was reduced to less than 200 milligrams per square metre and day during 2006, and about 230 milligrams per square metre and day during 2007. The intermediate dust suppression measures include the wetting of slimes dams, reed screening and ridge ploughing. Earlier attempts to bind the windblown material by application of different palliatives had been unsuccessful.
As a long-term measure, "vegetation or possible reclamation is being considered".
(Mining Weekly Nov. 2, 2007)
> View here
(see also Decommissioning Data)
Abandoned Kitwe uranium mill tailings to be relocated for safe disposal
The Copperbelt Environment Project (CEP) is to spend over $1.3 million to dispose 40,000 metric tonnes of uranium tailings dumped at TD 11 and TD 13 in Kitwe's Mindolo Mine Township.
CEP Communications Speciality Mumbuna Kufekisa told ZANIS in an interview in Kitwe today that CEP, in conjuction with ZCCM-Investment Holdings , has decided to dispose of the uranium tailings dumped at TD 11 and TD 13 from mining activities in the 1960s as they were a health and environmental hazard.
Mr Kufekisa said the uranium would be taken for storage where they would be buried in a disposal cell and covered with laterite and vegetation at a Mopani Copper Mine dump site.
He disclosed that the exercise, which was being undertaken by Copperfield Mining, would be done over a period of four months and at a cost of $1.3 million.
(Lusaka Times July 29, 2009)
Study commissioned on environmental and health hazards from wastes of former uranium mining in Kitwe area, Zambia
Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) Plc has engaged German consultancy WISUTEC Wismut Umwelttechnik GmbH to undertake an environmental and social impact study at two uranium dumps in the Kitwe area.
The dumps are in an area where ZCCM-IH already has a programme in place of resettling residents to a safer area.
So far, 600 people who were living near the uranium dumps have been resettled elsewhere.
ZCCM-IH environmental officer Cyril Lukeke told media practitioners who visited the company's projects under the World Bank-supported Copperbelt Environment Project (CEP) that study would cost about 500,000 euros.
Lukeke said the consultant has already collected samples from the two dump sites to ascertain the effects of the uranium residue on the community living nearby. The study started in April and is billed for completion next year, after which ZCCM-IH will determine the remedial measures to be taken.
Uranium was mined at Kitwe, where the mine is now operated by Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) Plc, during the 1950s when a company called Amco was contracted to sink shafts at Mindola. The uranium was shipped to the United Kingdom, whose colony northern Rhodesia was then, but since then, the mineral has not been actively mined.
(Mineweb June 11, 2007)
"The only uranium production [in Zambia] was done in the early 1950's at the Nkana copper mine, Kitwe, in the copperbelt. From about 100,000 tonnes of uranium ore mined at a grade of 0.19 per cent U, about 100 tonnes U were produced." (NEA/IAEA: Uranium Resources, Production and Demand, 1989)
(see also Decommissioning Data)
Northern Territory · Queensland · West Australia · South Australia · New South Wales
Hunters Hill ·
Kakadu (old tailings) ·
Lake Way ·
Mary Kathleen ·
Nabarlek ·
Port Pirie ·
Radium Hill ·
Rum Jungle ·
Sleisbeck
> Aerial view: Google Maps
Rehabilitation of Rum Jungle mine has "clearly failed", study finds
From the abstract:
The former Rum Jungle uranium-copper project, Australia, [...] is briefly reviewed, followed by a critical evaluation of monitoring data and pollution loads prior to and after rehabilitation - leading to the conclusion that rehabilitation has clearly failed the test of time after just two decades. The most critical findings are the need to understand pollution cycles holistically, and designing monitoring regimes to match, explicit inclusion of radiological criteria (lacking in original planning), and finally the need to set targets based on environmental criteria. Two examples include polluted groundwater which was excluded from rehabilitation and the poor design, construction and/or performance of engineered soil covers - both leading to increasing acid drainage impacts on the Finniss River. [...]
Continuing pollution from the Rum Jungle U-Cu project: A critical evaluation of environmental monitoring and rehabilitation, by Mudd GM, Patterson J, in: Environmental pollution , in press, Feb 21, 2010
Rare fish discovered in disused Kakadu uranium mine
A rare native fish discovered swimming in an abandoned Northern Territory uranium mine is close to being bred in captivity.
The barraway's carp gudgeon was discovered in the abandoned Sleisbeck mine pit in Kakadu National Park.
It is hoped captive breeding of the fish could help protect the species and provide income for traditional owners.
Ornamental fish breeder Dave Wilson says he's already received enquires from overseas collectors who are keen to aquire the small rare native fish.
(ABC February 25, 2008)
Uranium Equities Ltd acquires Nabarlek Mining Lease
On July 1, 2008, Uranium Equities Limited advised that acquisition of Queensland Mines Pty Ltd, owner of the Nabarlek Mining Lease (MLN 962), Northern Territory, was completed on 30th June 2008. MLN 962 covers the Nabarlek Uranium Deposit which was mined by Queensland Mines Limited in the 1980s. Exploration on the Nabarlek Mining Lease will commence upon reaching agreement
with the government and traditional owners' representatives.
Concern about return of clean-up bond on Nabarlek mine
The Northern Territory Government has returned 96% of a clean-up bond on the former Nabarlek uranium mine, despite scientists' warnings that progress was "far from ideal".
The territory's Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development released AU$ 9.6 million of an AU$ 10 million bond in September 2003 to Pioneer International, which mined the east Arnhem Land ore body in 1979.
But it was done without consulting the commonwealth's Office of the Supervising Scientist (OSS) and despite the concerns of the OSS and other experts over rehabilitation progress on-site.
Acting chief supervising scientist Alex Zapantis said the OSS was surprised to discover the territory had released the money without consultation, and raised its concerns at a meeting earlier this month.
On a recent tour of Nabarlek by the Alligator Rivers Region Technical Committee - an expert panel overseeing management of the region - members expressed concern at the state of the site, which was littered with mining rubbish and covered in weeds.
(The Australian 18 Dec. 2003)
Cleanup of old uranium mine and mill sites in Kakadu National Park almost finished
The equivalent of six Olympic-size swimming pools of radioactive soil and mining equipment has been buried in Kakadu National Park.
Parks Australia said it was not nuclear waste and the level of radioactivity was low.
The soil and equipment had been stored in shipping containers.
It has now been put in containers with a structural life of 1000 years and buried four metres down.
The project to clean up abandoned uranium diggings and milling sites in the South Alligator River valley cost A$7.33 million and is almost finished.
Parks Australia director Peter Cochrane said revegetation would be completed during the Dry.
(Northern Territory News Mar. 13, 2010)
Old uranium mining leases to become part of Kakadu National Park
Greg Hunt MP, Parliamentary Secretary with ministerial responsibility for Kakadu National Park, announced on June 5, 2006, that the Government would be moving to incorporate 29 mining leases into the park, adding some 466 hectares to the World Heritage Area.
The old uranium sites date back to the 1950s and 1960s, well before Kakadu became a national park and decades before it was globally recognised as a World Heritage Area for both its cultural and natural values.
They include Guratba, more commonly known as Coronation Hill, one of Northern Australia's most sacred sites.
The move will ensure the effective rehabilitation of abandoned uranium sites in Kakadu's South Alligator River valley, following the Government's Budget announcement of A$7.3 million over the next four years for this work.
(The Hon Greg Hunt MP media release June 5, 2006)
Budget funds clean-up of old uranium mine sites in Kakadu National Park
Money to clean up parts of the Northern Territory's Kakadu National Park, which have been contaminated by uranium mining, has been included in the federal Budget. Treasurer Peter Costello says the Federal Government is putting more than A$ 7 million towards rehabilitating sites around the South Alligator River contaminated by uranium mining decades ago.
The Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, Greg Hunt, says the Jawoyn traditional owners want radioactive material stored on-site.
"They have very strong views that that which came out of the ground should return to the same place," he said.
"Traditional owners have said to us they want to find a solution on-site in that part of the land."
(ABC 10 May 2006)
An internal report from the Office of the Supervising Scientist says tailings from an old uranium mine in Kakadu National Park are being washed into the river system and on to a tourist road. The report, obtained by the ABC, says tailings from the Rockhole mine which have risen to the surface are being washed into the South Alligator River and are mixing with the dust on the Gunlom Falls Road.
(ABC News 6 June 2000)
More radiation found in Kakadu
Low-level radiation has been identified at other former uranium mine
sites in Kakadu National Park. Australia's Nuclear Safety Agency director, Peter Burns, says rehabilitation work at some of the old mines was inadequate, and at
others, tailings have reached the surface.
(ABC News 9 June 2000)
Radioactive waste removed from Kakadu
The managers of Kakadu National Park are removing some radioactive residue from the south of the park. A consultant's report on the remediation work needed is due in November 2000.
Material is being removed from the area between the Gunlom Road and the South Alligator River. It is planned this year to put some protective rock over the residues so they can't be any further eroded and so they can't end up in the South Alligator River. Also, some small quantities of residues are being picked up and are to be put in drums to stop them being dispersed into the environment. (ABC News 24 Oct 2000)
People swimming in old mine and tailings dam
State Member for Mount Isa Tony McGrady says people are ignoring warning signs at the Mary Kathleen open cut and tailings dam.
McGrady says he is concerned about the number of people still swimming at the old uranium mine between Mount Isa and Cloncurry.
"Commonsense should dictate to people that if you are in the workings of an old abandoned uranium mine site and there's quite a substantial amount of water you should not swim in that tailing dam or any other part of the mine site where there is water," he said.
(ABC 26 Oct. 2004)
High radiation levels found at former Lake Way uranium mine
Radiation levels more than 100 times normal background readings have been recorded at an old uranium site, despite the area being "cleaned" a decade ago.
Greens MP Robin Chapple said radiation at the former uranium exploration site, near the Lake Way, 11 km from Wiluna, peaked at 143 times the normal range for that area last week.
(Perth Now July 21, 2010)
On a recent research trip to remote communities in the Goldfields, members
of the Anti-Nuclear Alliance of WA discovered rusting tins of uranium ore and a dismantled sign reading "danger - low level radiation ore exposed" at the site, 18 km from Wiluna.
They also recorded high levels of radiation at the site using a Geiger
counter. Since the discovery, Greens MLC Giz Watson has demanded the
immediate fencing off of the area and clean-up of radioactive material.
(Anti-Nuclear Alliance of WA Aug. 23, 2000)
> View PIRSA announcements
PIRSA issues Radium Hill management plan Phase 1
Radium Hill - Uranium mine and low-level radioactive waste repository,
Management Plan, Phase 1 - Preliminary Investigation 2004, by M. McLeary, Report Book 2004/9, Primary Industries and Resources South Australia
> Download full report (4.5MB PDF)
> View PIRSA announcements
PIRSA issues Port Pirie management plan Phase 1
Port Pirie uranium treatment plant, Management Plan, Phase 1 - Preliminary Investigation 2004, by M. McLeary, Report Book 2004/10, Primary Industries and Resources South Australia
> Download full report (7MB PDF)
Cleanup of former Hunters Hill uranium mill site facing indefinite delay
The planned clean-up of the radioactive site at Hunters Hill is facing an indefinite delay. The government has missed its own deadline to begin the clean-up, and is yet to even start on the necessary paperwork.
The government had two years to lodge its application to clean up the radioactive waste at the site, and it has not met the end of February deadline. Now it says the application may not be lodged until mid-year at the earliest, and a consultant to compile its report will not be appointed until perhaps next month.
The remediation work involves removing 3000 cubic metres of soil from the area, and another 500 cubic metres from the harbour floor.
"That will increase if neighbours want their radioactive hot spots removed as well," the MP Michael Richardson said.
There are 37 samples on the site registering greater than 100 becquerels per gram of radioactivity, classifying it as hazardous waste. It is spread right across the area, from the foreshore to the upper areas of the site. The highest individual reading is 787.43 becquerels a gram.
However, one piece of radioactive slag has also been found, which recorded more than 7400 becquerels per kilogram of uranium, along with very high levels of thorium, in an area at No.1 Nelsons Parade, Hunters Hill. That is several lots away from the remediation site, which is centred on Nos. 7,9 and 11 Nelson Parade.
The government's application needs to include an environmental assessment which must specify where the radioactive waste is to be dumped. The sole landfill in Sydney able to accept industrial waste is at Kemps Creek in western Sydney, operated by the private firm SITA.
But because of the extremely high radioactivity levels in the waste, it may be difficult to dump it, since much of it is well in excess of safe levels. And, once dumped, it then becomes the responsibility of the landfill owner.
(Sydney Morning Herald Mar. 19, 2010)
Cleanup of former Hunters Hill uranium mill site to include demolition of a building that was repeatedly declared safe
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 A$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, though there is no proven link between their deaths and the radioactivity.
(Sydney Morning Herald Dec. 28, 2009)
NSW Government agrees to clean up former Hunters Hill uranium mill site
After years of public pressure, the NSW Government yesterday agreed to a thorough clean-up of radioactive land in Hunters Hill.
It will dig out thousands of tonnes of contaminated dirt and uranium tailings from the site of a former uranium smelter by the end of next year, supervised by an independent auditor. It will then sell the waterside land in Nelson Parade for housing if it is declared safe.
At least six people who have lived on or near the radioactive section of the street have died of cancer, though there is no proven link between the elevated radiation levels and their deaths.
There have been many instances of government officials failing to warn residents about the risks of the site. When residents began voicing concerns in the 1970s the Health Commission told staff to "stall and be non-committal" about the danger.
In 2002 the buyers of a house at No. 11 Nelson Parade were not told about high radiation levels at the site. Last month the Government agreed to buy it back after the owners, Peter and Michelle Vassiliou, commissioned tests that found the site unfit for habitation.
(The Sydney Morning Herald March 27, 2009)
