Australia’s radioactive waste water problem at Ranger uranium mine
the company is not planning to start processing its radioactive waste water for two more wet seasons.
Mr Mudd says a higher dam wall will mean the company will have even more radioactive water to process.
“In that sense it is still the temporary, sort of step-by-step measures,”
Ranger uranium waste water treatment plan attacked, ABC News, By Jane Bardon, 5 July 11 An environmental engineer says Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) should not have reopened its uranium mine within Kakadu National Park last month without committing to a waste water treatment plan.
The company had to stop processing uranium ore for five months during the Northern Territory wet season because its radioactive tailings dam got too close to capacity.
ERA says it plans to spend $80 million on a feasibility study to build a brine concentrator at the Ranger uranium mine by late 2013.
In the meantime, it will raise the dam wall.
Gavin Mudd from Monash University has been studying the environmental impacts of the ERA mine, which has been majority-owned by Rio Tinto for a decade.
He is worried the company is not planning to start processing its radioactive waste water for two more wet seasons.
Mr Mudd says a higher dam wall will mean the company will have even more radioactive water to process.
“In that sense it is still the temporary, sort of step-by-step measures,” he said.
“We need decisive action on site to actually deliver large-scale process water treatment.
“Without that, the Ranger mine will continue to face risks every wet season with these types of issues and it will continually be compromising the ability to achieve rehabilitation [of the site] from 2021 at Ranger.”
Dr Mudd says building the water plant should not depend on whether ERA expands its mine and processing plant.
“ERA need to solve the process water problem and so it should not be conditional on any expansion,” he said.
“It should be absolute and the regulators need to put their foot down, as well as the board of Rio Tinto, from London and Melbourne……
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/07/05/3261230.htm?section=business
No comments yet.
1.This month.
The Road to War brings a sharp focus to why it is not in Australia’s best interest to be dragged into a war with China which will almost inevitably go nuclear very quickly. The filmmaker has interviewed some of Australia’s senior foreign policy analysts who have vast experience behind them in analysing what really is going on here as the United States rattles its sabres with China. And sets us up to be its proxy, like the poor Ukranians have been fed into the Meatgrinder. So America can remain the Top Dog. The Road to War reveals how the United States through its spy base at Pine Gap and by stationing six nuclear capable B52 bombers in the Top End (without permission from the traditional owners) is making Australia a prime nuclear target if the current war of words suddenly melts down into full scale war.
The Road to War shows the implicit connection between Carbon emissions (the US military uses a whopping 70% of America’s annual petroleum to move its armies and vast War Machine around the globe to its 800+ military bases..but under a loophole wangled at Kyoto, the US military does not have to report its C02 annual emissions). The Road to War starts screening at selected cities and regional centres in March. See the trailer end for details.
Antinuclear 
Leave a Reply