Former uranium mine near Batchelor undergoing major rehabilitation

THE planning for the next round of major remediation work at the former Rum Jungle uranium mine site have been completed

The Rum Jungle rehabilitation is going to have $18.3m spent on it. PICTURE: Supplied

THE planning for the next round of major remediation work at the former Rum Jungle uranium mine site has been completed.

The uranium and copper mine near Batchelor — 100km south of Darwin — closed in 1971, with significant environmental damage caused mostly by acid and metalliferous drainage polluting the east branch of the Finniss River.

Initial remediation work started in the 1980s at a cost of $18.6 million. This resulted in improvements to the site.

Primary Industry and Resources principal mining scientist with the Rum Jungle project, Tania Laurencont, said the round will be funded by the federal government.

“We’ve completed plans for the next round of remediation, which will be supported by $10 million in federal funding,” she said.

“Much of the remediation done in the ‘80s involved significant earthworks to consolidate contaminated waste material, and that resulted in a dramatic improvement in the quality of the water coming off the site.

“This latest round of works included developing the rehabilitation plan from concept to detailed design as well as ongoing maintenance, environmental monitoring and stakeholder engagement.

“The rehabilitation plan is based on comprehensive scientific data and modelling and aims to provide a long term sustainable solution for the site.”

Ms Laurencont said they had worked with traditional owners to ensure the work reflected their wishes.

“We’re excited by the prospect of this important work, which will restore cultural values, improve water quality, vegetation and aesthetics,” she said.

“We worked closely with the joint traditional Aboriginal owners of the site, the Kungarakan and Warai peoples.

“It’s been incredibly important to us to ensure their views are respected and prominent in our plans. We visited the site with traditional Aboriginal owners, who shared their long-term aspirations for the area.

“They asked us to restore the original course of the east branch of the Finniss River, for example, and that we revegetate with specific native food plants and other plants to provide habitat for reptiles, birds and other animals.”