Thursday, 13 May 2010

Radioactive water seeps from uranium mine's tailings dam

Ranger Uranium Mine, Australia


The Ranger uranium mine is operated by Rio Tinto subsidiary Energy Resources of Australia.

An estimated 100,000 litres of water has been seeping from the tailings dam every day into the rock below. The Australian Senate Committee in February this year confirmed that there is 5,500 times as much uranium in that water as there is in the surrounding environment, but so far there has been little work (at least published) on what will be done to rehabilitate it. This contaminated water could reach the surrounding Kakadu National park if nothing is done to prevent it. One day the dam will be removed and no-one knows what effect this will have on the surrounding area.

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