❓ A parliamentary question seeks information on the environmental impact of seepage from a tailings storage facility, including evidence of contamination and actions taken to mitigate the damage. The Minister's response confirms visual evidence of seepage, stress to vegetation, soil contamination, and that the holder was directed to restrict contamination.
AnsweredQoN 893Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) Can the Minister advise how it was established that seepage water from the tailings storage facility was having an adverse effect or potential adverse effect on the environment by causing contamination of soil and death of native vegetation? (2) Will the Minister table a summary of the evidence causing this direction? (3) Was the holder directed to restrict the area of seepage contamination, so as to minimise adverse impacts on surrounding native vegetation? (4) What is the area that was affected by - (a) contamination of soil; and (b) death of native vegetation? Answered on 11 October 2000 The Minister
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
11 October 2000
Response time
20 days
(1) & (2) I am advised that a routine environmental inspection identified visual evidence of seepage from the Tailings Storage Facility. This was associated with noticeable evidence of stress to native vegetation along drainage pathways emanating from the Tailings Storage Facility with apparent salt contamination of the adjacent soil. (3) Yes (4) The zone affected extended, in both cases, up to 300m west and south of the Tailings Storage Facility along defined horizontal and vertical joints and fractures in weathered and fresh granite.
(2) Will the Minister table a summary of the evidence causing this direction? (3) Was the holder directed to restrict the area of seepage contamination, so as to minimise adverse impacts on surrounding native vegetation? (4) What is the area that was affected by - (a) contamination of soil; and (b) death of native vegetation? Answered on 11 October 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) & (2) I am advised that a routine environmental inspection identified visual evidence of seepage from the Tailings Storage Facility. This was associated with noticeable evidence of stress to native vegetation along drainage pathways emanating from the Tailings Storage Facility with apparent salt contamination of the adjacent soil. (3) Yes (4) The zone affected extended, in both cases, up to 300m west and south of the Tailings Storage Facility along defined horizontal and vertical joints and fractures in weathered and fresh granite.
(3) Was the holder directed to restrict the area of seepage contamination, so as to minimise adverse impacts on surrounding native vegetation? (4) What is the area that was affected by - (a) contamination of soil; and (b) death of native vegetation? Answered on 11 October 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) & (2) I am advised that a routine environmental inspection identified visual evidence of seepage from the Tailings Storage Facility. This was associated with noticeable evidence of stress to native vegetation along drainage pathways emanating from the Tailings Storage Facility with apparent salt contamination of the adjacent soil. (3) Yes (4) The zone affected extended, in both cases, up to 300m west and south of the Tailings Storage Facility along defined horizontal and vertical joints and fractures in weathered and fresh granite.
(4) What is the area that was affected by - (a) contamination of soil; and (b) death of native vegetation? Answered on 11 October 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) & (2) I am advised that a routine environmental inspection identified visual evidence of seepage from the Tailings Storage Facility. This was associated with noticeable evidence of stress to native vegetation along drainage pathways emanating from the Tailings Storage Facility with apparent salt contamination of the adjacent soil. (3) Yes (4) The zone affected extended, in both cases, up to 300m west and south of the Tailings Storage Facility along defined horizontal and vertical joints and fractures in weathered and fresh granite.
(b) death of native vegetation?
(2) Will the Minister table a summary of the evidence causing this direction? (3) Was the holder directed to restrict the area of seepage contamination, so as to minimise adverse impacts on surrounding native vegetation? (4) What is the area that was affected by - (a) contamination of soil; and (b) death of native vegetation? Answered on 11 October 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) & (2) I am advised that a routine environmental inspection identified visual evidence of seepage from the Tailings Storage Facility. This was associated with noticeable evidence of stress to native vegetation along drainage pathways emanating from the Tailings Storage Facility with apparent salt contamination of the adjacent soil. (3) Yes (4) The zone affected extended, in both cases, up to 300m west and south of the Tailings Storage Facility along defined horizontal and vertical joints and fractures in weathered and fresh granite.
(3) Was the holder directed to restrict the area of seepage contamination, so as to minimise adverse impacts on surrounding native vegetation? (4) What is the area that was affected by - (a) contamination of soil; and (b) death of native vegetation? Answered on 11 October 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) & (2) I am advised that a routine environmental inspection identified visual evidence of seepage from the Tailings Storage Facility. This was associated with noticeable evidence of stress to native vegetation along drainage pathways emanating from the Tailings Storage Facility with apparent salt contamination of the adjacent soil. (3) Yes (4) The zone affected extended, in both cases, up to 300m west and south of the Tailings Storage Facility along defined horizontal and vertical joints and fractures in weathered and fresh granite.
(4) What is the area that was affected by - (a) contamination of soil; and (b) death of native vegetation? Answered on 11 October 2000 The Minister Replied: (1) & (2) I am advised that a routine environmental inspection identified visual evidence of seepage from the Tailings Storage Facility. This was associated with noticeable evidence of stress to native vegetation along drainage pathways emanating from the Tailings Storage Facility with apparent salt contamination of the adjacent soil. (3) Yes (4) The zone affected extended, in both cases, up to 300m west and south of the Tailings Storage Facility along defined horizontal and vertical joints and fractures in weathered and fresh granite.
(b) death of native vegetation?
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.