nuclear-news

Rio Tinto’s ERA Australian uranium mine has radioactive spill

NT uranium mine suspended after radioactive leak SMH, 10 Dec 13,The federal government has suspended operations at the Ranger uranium mine in the Northern Territory, after a major leak of acid and radioactive slurry at the weekend.

The mine’s operator, Energy Resources of Australia, insists there has been no environmental impact from the million-litre spill, but this view is contested by local indigenous people and environment groups…….

On Friday, workers detected a hole in leach tank one within the mine’s processing area, which has a capacity of about 1.5 million litres.  The next day, the tank split, pouring out a slurry of mud, water, ore and sulphuric acid…….

The NT Environment Centre said it did not believe ERA when the company said there had been no environmental impacts.

”It’s clear there’s contaminated water from the burst tank on soil,” director Stuart Blanch said.

There have been more than 200 safety breaches and incidents over the past 30 years at the site, according to the centre, which says the slurry spill overflowed levee banks designed to contain it and got into the mine’s stormwater drain system.

The regional organiser of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, Bryan Wilkins, said that during the construction and installation of the leaking tank, in 1993 or 1994, the welding was not properly tested. ”I know it wasn’t – I was there,” he said.

An investigation to determine what caused the tank to give way was being commissioned, ERA chief executive Andrea Sutton said……. http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/nt-uranium-mine-suspended-after-radioactive-leak-20131209-2z1un.html#ixzz2n5vZT1Pe

December 10, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, incidents