Pilbara mining residue

Pilbara miners environmental vandals

The Pilbara is known for its mineral wealth and its beautiful hills and gorges. When the minerals have been extracted the scars left remain as a reminder of money made, lives lost and land degraded. On a recent trip to Karajini we went to Wittenoom Gorge and the site of the old blue asbestos mining town, now not much more than a ghost town. I was reminded of the negative impact of mineral extraction and the lack of accountability to clean up after themselves of those who make money from the extraction of the country's mineral wealth.

This includes governments who make enormous amounts of royalties.

http://www.asbestosdiseases.org.au/asbestosinfo/wittenoom_tragedies.htm

Uranium worries

And of course now that WA has Colin Barnett as Premier, uranium exploration and mining is full steam ahead in the Pilbara. Cameco expect to be operating their uranium mine in the East Pilbara in 3 years.

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=32&ContentID=134446

Potable water wasted to damp down dirt in Port Hedland

Water wasted

At the weekend I was shocked to hear that in Port Hedland, BHP Billiton damped down thier piles of iron ore with potable fresh water; 4.3 Gigalitres per day . Iron ore dust is a very important environmental hazard in Port Hedland.


Whole mountains are moved in enormously long trains. The ore is then dumped at the port and loaded into ships then carted off to Asia to build the incredible infrastructure that is now a feature of the Asian urban landscape. Port Hedland is right by the sea with an abundance of sea water that could be used for the job as was the case until recently. However BHP Billiton had a problem that the infrastructure they had constructed to move this dirt, namely the conveyor belts and the trucks were going rusty because of the salt. So fresh water is being used. Understandable you may think but in the same town, salt is being transported by conveyor belt and truck and loaded into ships. How is it possible that one company can transport salt and one can not transport dirt with a sprinkling of salt on top.

What is the Western Australian State government doing to ensure that safe drinking water is not being wasted in this way? If BHP Billiton absolutely needs to use this water what are they paying to deplete a non renewable natural resource namely the Pilbara underground water reserves.

If you are interested the Conservation Council of WA website has more information
http://conservationwa.asn.au/component/option,com_events/task,view_detail/agid,72/year,2007/month,08/day,22/Itemid,1/
Have a look here to find out more about the Pilbara ground water allocation
http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/water/allocation/wa/gmu-pilbara-peedamulla.html

Whales may save the Kimberley

Whale nursery found

The beautiful remote Kimberley islands and coastal reserve are the site of mining controversy. As expected there are vast reserves of oil and gas under the Kimberley sea, not surprising as the ancient landforms of the Kimberley and Pilbara are rich in fossils and mineral deposits.

They are also rich in Aboriginal art sites and are home to a huge biodiversity. On the 12th of August the ABC reported the findings of a study from the Marine Science Institution which found an amazing nursery of Humpback Whales. This maternity ward of 607 whales is said to be the largest to have been found anywhere in the world. Camden Sound where the whales have been spotted must be one of the natural wonders of the world and is an indication that this region needs to be world heritage listed.

Read more about it here at the ABC

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/12/2332256.htm

If you are interested in finding out more about the mining operations and their impact on this beautiful region have a look here.

http://www.savethekimberley.com/content/view/48/82/