Uranium legacies: regulation, stakeholders and resources ... · Uranium legacies are an ongoing...

Supervising Scientist - working to protect the envir onment from the impacts of uranium mining

www.environment.gov.au/ssd

Uranium legacies:regulation, stakeholders and resources.

-Australian case studies-Michelle Bush

Assistant Director, Supervision & Assessment

Supervising Scientist Division

2Supervising Scientist Division

Overview

■ Uranium mining in Australia– Current / future– Legacy sites

■ Regulation– Commonwealth– State / Territory roles

■ Legacies – case studyNabarlek 1982


Location of Australian uranium deposits


Regulating legacy sites

■ Environmental Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth)

A nuclear action means:– Establishing or significantly modifying a nuclear

installation – uranium mining or milling – de-commissioning or rehabilitating any facility or area

that has been used for either of the above


Uranium Industry Government Stakeholders -roles & responsibilities

■ Commonwealth– Department of Environment– Department of Resources & Energy– Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety

Agency

■ State / Territory – Department of Mines / Resources– Department of Environment– Department of Health (radiation protection matters)


Stakeholder negotiations

■ Initial assessment process – Environment Minister can request comment on a

proposal from any stakeholder group (including government departments)

■ Day-to-day regulation– Cooperation on inspection and auditing processes

■ Technical & advisory committee meetings– Involving Commonwealth and State / Territory

Government departments and other organisations


Mining company

Territory Government (Regulator)Commonwealth Government


Uranium legacies in the Northern Territory

■ South Alligator Valley

■ Rum Jungle

■ Nabarlek*


Alligator Rivers Region


South Alligator Valley

■ Site owner – Parks Australia– a division of the Department of Environment, Water,

Heritage and the Arts

■ Site is located within Kakadu National Park– World Heritage Listed for natural and cultural values


South Alligator Valley - history

■ 50 radiological anomalies identified 1950s– ~13 mined

■ Production throughout 50s-60s– ~ 1000t U3O8

■ Infrastructure included roads, two major settlements, camps, ore treatment site, lay-down areas and a mill (SX)

■ Sites abandoned at the end of mining


South Alligator Valley – the legacy

■ Radiological and physical hazards:– Mill tailings contaminating soil near campsite access

road– Radioactive drill cores– Contaminated concrete measuring up to 20µG/h– Exposed uranium ore; radiologically contaminated

truck dumps


South Alligator Valley – what has happened

■ Several stages of rehabilitation– Hazard reduction works (Stage 1)

• 1990/91• Commonwealth funded

– Final containment (Stage 2)• Up to 2010• Commonwealth funded

■ Long consultations and negotiations with Traditional Owners■ Commonwealth legislative changes regarding uranium mines■ Monitoring programmes

– Data collection regarding water quality and radon emanation

■ Development of a strategy to contain radiologically contaminated materials and complete site rehabilitation (Stage 2)


Former remediation and rehabilitation works


SAV – the legislative process

■ Parks Australia submits proposal to Environment Minister– Undertake rehabilitation works at sites formerly used

for mining and milling uranium: a nuclear action– Proposal includes plans for the final rehabilitation

works to be completed, costs and resources, timeframe, radiation protection plan

■ Minister considers the information provided – Seeks comment from wide range of stakeholders

including other Commonwealth Departments, Northern Territory Government, Aboriginal legal representatives, other representatives of TO groups


SAV – the legislative process

■ Minister reaches decision– Proposal does not require further assessment in

accordance with the EPBC Act– The proposal is considered unlikely to cause a

significant impact to matters of national environmental significance

■ Works can commence


South Alligator Valley - today

■ Final rehabilitation works completed– Containment closed & capped (minor erosion control works

required)• Monitoring stations installed• Containment fenced and signed

– Old containments rehabilitated and revegetated• Recontouring works where required• Erosion mitigation measures installed where required

■ Responsibility for site: Commonwealth Government (through Parks Australia) – Area is in Kakadu National Park, leased from the Traditional

Owners

■ License to be issued by ARPANSA


Rum Jungle

■ Native Title granted over the site

■ Commonwealth Department of Resources is responsible for site rehabilitation

■ NTG is managing the rehabilitation process on behalf of the Commonwealth

■ Working Group formed

■ Site is located 85km from Darwin, NT, Australia


Rum Jungle - history

■ Operated between 1954 – 1971

■ Australia’s first major uranium mine

■ ~3500t uranium produced

■ ~20 000t copper concentrate, small

quantities of nickel and lead


Rum Jungle – the legacy

■ Acid mine drainage

■ Heavy metal mobilisation – Pollution of the East Finniss River– Public health hazard

■ Localised concentrations of radioactive tailings


Rum Jungle – what has happened

■ Rehabilitation works between 1983-1986– $18.6 million – Commonwealth funded– Cooperative agreement between Commonwealth and NT

Governments

■ Original objectives:– Reduce surface water pollution and downstream heavy

metal loads– Reduce pollutant loads in two open cut water bodies– Reduce public health hazards and radiological hazards– Revegetation


Rum Jungle - today

■ Rum Jungle working group established– Representatives from Environment and Resources

Departments from Commonwealth and NT Governments, and Northern Land Council (TO reps)

■ $8.3 million over 4 years funded by Commonwealth Government– Undertake site maintenance activities (prevent further

deterioration of historic remediation works)– Undertake comprehensive scientific investigations at the site

to inform site management and rehabilitation strategies– Process is managed by NT Government


Nabarlek

■ Continuous tenure

■ Site is currently being explored and rehabilitated

■ Mined in one dry season campaign in 1979

■ Ore stockpiled and milled for ~10 years

■ Tailings placed straight into mined out pit void


Nabarlek – ongoing environmental issues

■ Radiological contamination in small area near (former) pit ramp

■ Weeds■ Revegetation■ Infrastructure – including asbestos■ Landforms – damp areas on site support weed

populations and inhibit natural regeneration■ Site surface – medium / large rocks – unsuitable

for Traditional Owners to access the site


Nabarlek – what has happened

■ Site partially rehabilitated

■ Some revegetation works

■ Some natural regeneration

■ Cyclone – 2006

■ Fire fire fire!

■ Site ownership changes


Nabarlek – legislative requirements

■ Authorisation issued by NT Government to operate at the site

■ Mine Management Plan (revised every 12 months)– Details the amount of work to be undertaken– Cost of the work

• Exploration• Rehabilitation

– Cost of the rehabilitation for entire site

■ Security (bond) held by NT Government


Nabarlek - today

■ Responsibility for site: Uranium Equities Limited– Current lease holders– Actively exploring and rehabilitating the site– Not legally responsible for historic issues on the site but

have undertaken substantial works to improve the site• Weed mapping and controls (burns, spraying)• Revegetation• Radiation risk reduction• Earthworks

– Northern Territory Government holds financial security• NOT INCLUDING cost to rehabilitate / remediate legacy issues

(clean up camp, remove tanks, etc).


Summary

■ Uranium legacies are an ongoing issue in parts of Australia – Large sums of money being spent to remediate sites

■ Multiple government agencies (Commonwealth and State/Territory) are involved– Stakeholder interaction is critical to achieving outcomes

■ Indigenous liaison is critical to the rehabilitation and remediation process


Thank you

Michelle BushAssistant Director, Supervision and AssessmentSupervising Scientist Division Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water,

Population and Communities

Ph: +61 8 8920 1121E: [email protected]

Uranium legacies: regulation, stakeholders and resources ... · Uranium legacies are an ongoing...

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