Early this morning an incident occurred at MMG Rosebery mine in which the Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) malfunctioned. Subsequently, the ETP was flooded.
The Rosebery concentrator has been shut down for scheduled maintenance since Tuesday 1 April, and so has not been producing any tailings during that time.
The flooding resulted in a discharge of underground water flowing into Rosebery Creek. No tailings were discharged into the receiving environment. Underground water is water from the mine that is pumped to the surface, treated and discharged under licenced operating conditions.
Immediate steps to manage the discharge were undertaken, and the flow has been stopped and contained.
MMG has notified the EPA and will continue to work cooperatively with them and keep them informed.
MMG Rosebery General Manager, Aaron Brannigan said that the incident was regrettable, but had been dealt with promptly upon discovery.
“We have taken, and will continue to take all reasonable and practical measures to minimise any adverse environmental effects from the incident,” Mr Brannigan said.
“At this stage we don’t believe this incident poses any risk to human health or the local environment.”
MMG will continue to work closely with the EPA to understand the cause and any further improvements to be undertaken.
MMG monitors the Rosebery Creek and other local waterways on a regular basis. It will increase this monitoring in the short term to identify any impacts from this event.