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Xstrata Copper: Removing historical mine sediment from the Leichhardt River in Mount Isa (PDF)
Mount Isa, Wednesday 14 May 2008
Xstrata Mount Isa Mines this week started work on Stage 2 of its Leichhardt River Remediation Project to remove historical mine sediment material in the Leichhardt River.
Mr Steve de Kruijff, Chief Operating Officer Xstrata Copper North Queensland, said that “Preliminary work was undertaken on Monday this week to develop vehicle access to the river bed. With that work now completed, today we’ve officially commenced Stage 2 of the Leichhardt River Remediation Project work to remove the historical mine sediment material.”
As part of Xstrata’s Whole of Emissions Study being undertaken by the University of Queensland’s Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, and led by world renowned toxicologist Associate Professor Barry Noller, Xstrata announced the Leichhardt River Remediation Project at a regular Community Information Session in August 2007.
The Stage 2 work was previously planned for late November 2007, however was delayed until after the wet season.
“The purpose of this project is to identify and remove historical mine sediments from the Leichhardt River which have been exposed over time as a result of natural erosion within the river system,” said Mr de Kruijff.
“Although the University of Queensland’s Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation has identified the potential risk of these sediments to human health to be minimal, this historical mine sediment still needs to be recovered.
“The Stage 2 removal work is being carried out in the Liechhardt River over the next five weeks, Monday to Saturday from 7.00am to 6.00pm, between Isa Street Bridge in the south and Alma Street Crossing in the north.
“Our Leichhardt River Remediation Project will ensure we recover this additional historical mine sediment and remove any potential risk (no matter how small) to the Mount Isa community in relation to its heavy metal content,” said Mr de Kruijff.
Stage 1 works, carried out in September 2007, involved the use of heavy mobile equipment to dig holes and obtain soil samples at various locations between the Isa Street Bridge and Alma Street Crossing. Xstrata completed Stage 1 works on time and to schedule and 152 samples were taken and analysed.
Initial results of the Whole of Emissions Study into land have indicated that performance of previous campaigns to remove historical mine sediments from the Leichhardt River have been very successful.
“In the early 1990s Mount Isa Mines removed and remediated areas in Mount Isa where historical mine sediment existed from earlier mining practices in the 1940s and 1950s,” said Mr de Kruijff.
“This is indicative of the changes in industry and community awareness of appropriate environmental management that occurred over the course of the last century,” he said.
In 1990 and 1991 an area adjacent to the operation, approximately 1.5 kilometres long and within 1 kilometre of the lease boundary, was remediated and rehabilitated in a joint effort between the Queensland Government CHEM Unit, the Mount Isa City Council and Mount Isa Mines.
Xstrata is keeping the Mount Isa community updated on this project via local newspaper and radio advertisements, flyer drops to residents and businesses in the immediate vicinity of the works, and through local radio interviews.
Ends
Xstrata contacts
Melanie Edgar
Manager Community Relations NQr
Telephone +61 7 4744 2832
Mobile +61 7 423 820 701
Email medgar@xstratacopper.com.au
Jemma Schweikert
Community Relations Advisor
Telephone +61 7 4744 6552
Mobile +61 7 412 126 510
Email jschweikert@xstratazinc.com.au
Note to editors
ABOUT XSTRATA PLC
Xstrata is a global diversified mining group, listed on the London and Swiss Stock Exchanges, with its headquarters in Zug, Switzerland. Xstrata’s businesses maintain a meaningful position in seven major international commodity markets: copper, coking coal, thermal coal, ferrochrome, nickel, vanadium and zinc, with additional exposures to platinum group metals, gold, cobalt, lead and silver, recycling facilities and a suite of global technology products, many of which are industry leaders. The Group's operations and projects span 18 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Germany, New Caledonia, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, the USA and the UK. Xstrata employs approximately 56,000 people, including contractors.
ABOUT XSTRATA COPPER
Headquartered in Brisbane, Xstrata Copper is one of the commodity business units within the major global diversified mining group Xstrata plc. Its operations and projects span eight countries: Australia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Canada, the USA, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. Its operations are administered by five separate divisions, based close to the mining operations, namely the North Queensland, Minera Alumbrera, North Chile, Southern Peru and Canada divisions. It also has a recycling business (Xstrata Recycling) with plants in the United States and offices in Canada and Asia.
Xstrata Copper is the fourth largest global copper producer with annual attributable production capacity of over one million tonnes.
ABOUT XSTRATA ZINC
Headquartered in Madrid, Spain, Xstrata Zinc is one of the world’s largest producers of zinc and one of the commodity business units within the major global diversified mining group Xstrata plc. Xstrata’s zinc and lead operations and exploration projects are located in Australia, Canada, Germany, Peru, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Xstrata Zinc’s operations in Spain comprise the San Juan de Nieva zinc smelter and the Arnao zinc semis plant in Asturias, and the Hinojedo roasting plant in Cantabria.
In Australia, operations comprise the Mount Isa, George Fisher underground and Black Star open cut zinc lead mines, zinc lead concentrator, lead smelter and Bowen Coke Works in north Queensland; 75% of the Lady Loretta zinc lead deposit in north-west Queensland; the McArthur River open pit zinc lead mine, processing and port operations in the Northern Territory; and 50% of the Lennard Shelf underground zinc lead mine and processing operations in Western Australia.
In Canada, operations and exploration projects include the Brunswick zinc-lead mine and lead smelter in New Brunswick; 25% of the CEZ zinc smelter near Montreal; and the Perseverance zinc deposit in Quebec.
Xstrata Zinc also operates the Nordenham zinc smelter in northern Germany; the Northfleet lead refinery in the United Kingdom; and owns 33.75% of the Antamina mine in Peru.
Around half of all zinc currently consumed is used for galvanizing steel, which is an environmentally friendly method of protecting steel against corrosion. Zinc also finds application in the manufacture of die-cast alloys, brass and the production of zinc oxides and chemicals.