NT: ERA warned over latest leak
By Rod McGuirk
DARWIN, April 24 AAP - Energy Resources of Australia Ltd (ERA) has been warned it willbe barred from allowing flow-off from its Ranger uranium ore stockpile into Kakadu NationalPark if it fails to source a new contamination leak.
Supervising scientist Arthur Johnson said he had ordered that water in Corridor Creekbe retained on site until the source of elevated contaminates detected on April 11 wasfound.
"If it is not found, we've already advised the company that if we're not satisfiedthat the whole system is understood properly, then next wet season there will be no waterallowed into the Corridor Creek system from the low-grade ore stockpile," Dr Johnson toldABC Radio today.
"It will all have to be retained on the mine site."
The federal government yesterday released a report by the Office of the SupervisingScientist of Dr Johnson's investigation into alleged environmental breaches at the Rangermine and delayed reporting of environmental monitoring data at the nearby Jabiluka lease.
The report said ERA's internal management processes had failed but had not breachedthe commonwealth's environmental requirements.
A spokesman for the Mirrar traditional owners said ERA's failure to pinpoint the sourceof the latest leak, reported to the Mirrar yesterday, was of great concern.
"Perhaps the most disturbing thing for traditional owners is that the source of thisnew contamination hasn't been identified yet," Gunjemhi Association communications officerJustin O'Brien said.
"We're talking about an endemic system of failure that over the past several monthswe're getting repeated stories of leaks, delayed reporting and now not being able to sourcewhere these leaks come from."
The monitoring point in Corridor Creek closest to the ore stockpile has detected aconcentration of contaminants at 14,000 parts per billion.
The contamination was seven times higher than levels found in February which promptedDr Johnson's report.
A wetlands filtration system reduced this contamination to within Australian drinkingwater standards by the time the water left the Ranger lease.
AAP rmg/pw/bwl
KEYWORD: RANGER LEAK
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