An analysis of the preliminary water management proposal for the Ranger Uranium Mine

Abstract

Some of the problems expected to arise as a result of contamination of rainfall run-off by the ore and waste rock heaps of the Ranger Uranium Mine, at Jabiru in the Northern Territory of Australia, have been re-examined. A computer program has been written to estimate the quantity of run-off water resulting from any given rainfall pattern. The program was calibrated against measured stream flows in Galungul Creek; it was then applied to the two major catchment areas surrounding the mine site, and estimates of the quantity and quality of discharge water were made. The effects of the discharge are discussed in relation to the levels tolerable to fish and, in the case of radium, permitted as uptake by humans. A possible modification to the water management plan, which would increase the time for sedimentation before discharge, is suggested.