Battle for uranium a waste of time and money
Monday, 8 January, 2007
by Emma King, uranium campaigner
Environment Centre of the NT
"These deposits are located within the Alice Springs water catchment area and should never have been released from reservation from occupation," ECNT Uranium Campaigner Emma King said.
"I find it impossible to imagine that any government could allow a uranium mine to operate there.
"Alice Springs is already struggling to ensure the town residents and businesses have adequate water - apart from risks of contamination from a mine, the amount of water used in uranium processing could threaten water supplies even further."
Other issues of concern include:
The likelihood that these deposits would be mined using the in situ leach (ISL) process where acid is pumped into the deposit to dissolve the ore. This process is illegal in every other OECD country;
The possibility that radioactive radon gas released during mining and milling could reach Alice Springs;
The difficulty managing the mine tailings for the 10,000 years or so they remain radioactive.