Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program

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The Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program was a joint rehabilitation programme between the Supervising Scientist Australia and the Department of Environment and Land Management, Tasmania to clean up the King River, Queen River and Macquarie Harbour.

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This was following over 100 years of mine waste and town waste from Queenstown being emptied into the rivers. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

It was conducted after the closing of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company in 1994, and most reports were produced by 1996. At the time of the final report it was claimed that the program was one of Australia's most comprehensive response to large scale environmental damage. [6]

The review of the effluent and environment of the Mount Lyell mining lease resulted in reports that were published, and the new owner of the Mount Lyell lease - Copper Mines of Tasmania (first company) - complying with requirements of the findings and the creation of tailings dams and the conclusion of any effluent disposal into the Queen River and King River.

Even after the remediation programme, doubts exist regarding the issues addressed. [7] [8]

The delta at the mouth of Macquarie Harbour that has an extended size of sediment has been of concern, before and since the programme. [9] [10]

Notes

  1. ↑ Roberts, G. T; Watson, B, (joint author.); Tasmania. Hydro-Electric Commission (1979), King-Franklin investigation : heavy metals pollution study, progress report no.1, 1978-79, Hydro-Electric Commission of Tasmania, ISBN   978-0-7246-0912-3 {{citation}}: |author2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ Swain, Roy, 1940-; University of Tasmania (1981), A biological assessment of pollution in the King River catchment (1978-1979), HEC [i.e. Hydro-Electric Commission of Tasmania], retrieved 22 September 2019{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ Klessa, David A; Koehnken, Lois; Johnston, John F; Supervising Scientist for the Alligator Rivers Region (Australia); Tasmania. Department of Environment and Land Management (1997), Mount Lyell remediation : estimation of water quality over time within the Queen and King Rivers, Supervising Scientist, ISBN   978-0-642-24321-8, ISSN   1325-1554
  4. ↑ Locher, Helen; Supervising Scientist for the Alligator Rivers Region (Australia); Tasmania. Department of Environment and Land Management (1997), Mount Lyell remediation : sediment transport in the King River, Tasmania, Supervising Scientist, ISBN   978-0-642-24320-1, ISSN   1325-1554
  5. ↑ Fuller, DA; Livingston, AH; Buckland, SG (1989), "Heavy Metal Pollution in the King River, Tasmania", Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium 1989: Comparisons in Austral Hydrology; Preprints of Papers, Institution of Engineers, Australia: 264–269, ISBN   978-0-85825-467-1
  6. ↑ Koehnken, Lois (1997) Final Report p. iii
  7. ↑ Gilmour, S; Parbhakar-Fox, A; Jackson, L; Cooke, D. R (1 January 2017), Geochemical and mineralogical characterisation of a tailings-rich sediment bank, King River, Tasmania, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, retrieved 22 September 2019
  8. ↑ McPhail, Derry; Green, David Geoffrey; Hooper, W.C (8 December 2015), Hydrogeology and geochemistry of sediment banks contaminated with mine tailings in the King River, Tasmania, Geological Society of Australia, retrieved 22 September 2019
  9. ↑ Taylor, Jeff R; Tasmania. Department of Environment and Land Management (1996), Mount Lyell remediation : characterisation and impact assessment of mine tailings in the King River system and delta, Western Tasmania, Supervising Scientist, ISBN   978-0-642-24304-1
  10. ↑ Locher, Helen; Keller, Robert J (1996), "The Influence of Power Station Operations on Sediment Transport in the King River, Tasmania", Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium 1996: Water and the Environment; Preprints of Papers, Institution of Engineers, Australia: 587–592, ISBN   978-0-85825-649-1

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References

Davies P, Mitchell N and Barmuta L (1996) The impact of historical mining operations at Mount Lyell on the water quality and biological health of the King and Queen River catchments, western Tasmania. Mount Lyell Remediation Research and Demonstration Program. Supervising Scientist Report 118, Supervising Scientist, Canberra. ISBN   0-642-24317-4

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