❓ Hon Paul Llewellyn asks about historical environmental issues (water table stress, tailings spills, seepage) at the inactive Kaltails facility, referencing specific documents from 1995 and 2000. The Minister declines to provide the information due to the age of the records, resource constraints, and lack of evidence of current impacts.
AnsweredQoN 5968Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) Is it correct that the note to file dated 7 February 2000 in part states, ‘The larger vegetation to the South and East of the TSF is showing noticeable stress due to the rising water table. I understand that Kaltails is pumping from groundwater recovery bores in an effort to control the rising water table. There are also a couple of very denuded areas from previous tailings spills which they are attempting to revegetate’?
(2) If no to (1), will the Minister quote the full text from this note to file dated 7 February 2000?
(3) Is it correct that the facsimile message dated 14 December 1995 from the DEP referred to above in part states, ‘In your case, where you have ongoing seepage from the tailings dam but recover the seepage fully, we regard the recovery system as being part of the holding facilities. Hence you are not in breach of condition B1 unless or until the seepage recovery system fails to fully recover the seepage, resulting in discernible impairment. The fact that seepage did cause an increase in groundwater levels and resultant vegetation damage before the installation of a suitable recovery system means that you were in breach until the recovery system was shown to work.’?
(4) If no to (3), will the Minister quote the full text from the facsimile message dated 14 December 1995 from the DEP?
(5) Will the Minister table copies of the ‘note to file’ dated 7 February 2000 and the facsimile message dated 14 December 1995 from the DEP?
(6) If no to (5), why not?
(2) If no to (1), will the Minister quote the full text from this note to file dated 7 February 2000?
(3) Is it correct that the facsimile message dated 14 December 1995 from the DEP referred to above in part states, ‘In your case, where you have ongoing seepage from the tailings dam but recover the seepage fully, we regard the recovery system as being part of the holding facilities. Hence you are not in breach of condition B1 unless or until the seepage recovery system fails to fully recover the seepage, resulting in discernible impairment. The fact that seepage did cause an increase in groundwater levels and resultant vegetation damage before the installation of a suitable recovery system means that you were in breach until the recovery system was shown to work.’?
(4) If no to (3), will the Minister quote the full text from the facsimile message dated 14 December 1995 from the DEP?
(5) Will the Minister table copies of the ‘note to file’ dated 7 February 2000 and the facsimile message dated 14 December 1995 from the DEP?
(6) If no to (5), why not?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
2 April 2008
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary representing the Minister for the Environment
Response time
35 days
(1) - (6) The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) has advised that the Kaltails facility has not been active for some years and the records relating to this facility have been archived and stored off-site.
The period in question is more than seven years ago, and I do not support the substantial amount of time and resources it would take DEC to locate this information.
There is also no evidence to suggest that there are any current impacts as a result of this facility and there are no active investigations into Newmont Kaltails in regard to seepage and/or impacts relating to the facility.
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The period in question is more than seven years ago, and I do not support the substantial amount of time and resources it would take DEC to locate this information.
There is also no evidence to suggest that there are any current impacts as a result of this facility and there are no active investigations into Newmont Kaltails in regard to seepage and/or impacts relating to the facility.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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