Uranium contamination from Kakadu mine 5400 times background

Environmental regulators for the office of the Supervising Scientist admitted to a Senate Estimates committee today that water with uranium concentrations 5400 times background and a cocktail of other radionuclides are seeping from beneath the tailings dam at the Ranger Uranium Mine in Kakadu National Park.

The Office of the Supervising Scientist acknowledged to Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam that the contamination was occurring, and said that the estimated amount of 100,000 litres per day was based on modelling and not measurement.

"The biggest surprise is that despite knowing about this leakage for years, the regulators don't know how much is seeping, where it is going, or how highly contaminated it is. The regulator suggested that directly sampling this contaminated water would be 'impractical.' I suggest that it is now essential."

"The regulator also admitted it would be impossible to completely rehabilitate the site, suggesting instead it would be cleaned up to some undefined 'reasonable' standard.

"The mining company ERA booked a 2009 profit in excess of $270 million dollars, and yet the regulator won't compel them to undertake any water quality sampling under the tailings dam. That has to change."

"Any moves by ERA to build another tailings dam of this kind in Kakadu must be stopped until the nature and magnitude of the existing leakage is known," Senator Ludlam said.

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