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Tui Mine – two years on
01 Preparatory work begins on the clean up of the site.
Residents living near the Tunakohoia stream at the contaminated Tui Mine site on Mount Te Aroha can look forward to safer surroundings once the first phase of the clean up is completed next year.
Environment Waikato has put a lot of work into scoping the clean up since the Ministry announced funding from its Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund in 2007.
The Tui Mine opened in 1967 to extract copper, lead and zinc and was ultimately abandoned in 1973 after the owners went into receivership. What was left behind was a large pile of sand sized crushed ore tailings and empty mine shafts leaching heavy metals into the local water catchment. No one was held accountable for the site’s clean up as the company in charge went into liquidation – the site is now an ‘orphan’ contaminated site; meaning that no one is held accountable for its clean up.
Some of the benefits the site will receive from the clean up include:
- reduced discharge of contaminants into Tui and Tunakohoia streams and ultimately the Waihou River system
- freeing up conservation estate for recreational use
- restoring part of the natural heritage of the Kaimai Range
- removing safety concerns
- removing the blight on the mining industry.
02 Environment Minister
Nick Smith visiting the
Tui Mine on 5 October
this year.
The preparatory work around the detailed design, site establishment, access road, and the treatment of the old underground mine workings is expected to be completed near the middle of next year.
“At the moment, the old mine workings discharge contaminated water into the Tunakohoia Stream – the plan is to partially plug these workings with engineered concrete bulkheads, and to inject an alkaline solution (lime slurry) into the ground to counter the strongly acidic conditions,” says Ghassan Basheer, Project Manager for the clean up from Environment Waikato.
“We’re looking to return this contaminated site to its former beauty and transform it into something for recreational users of the mountain to enjoy.
“It’s extremely important that we put aside the time, money and effort into getting this clean up right – we’ve considered several clean-up options since detailed investigations began in 2007. The remediation of orphan sites such as this need to be carefully planned so that we have better long-term environmental outcomes and reduced maintenance costs,” Basheer says.
The clean up is overseen by a governance group and steering group involving the Ministry for the Environment, Environment Waikato, Matamata-Piako District Council and the Department of Conservation. Ngati Rahiri Tumutumu are also in discussions with the project team and are currently considering a representative to sit on the governance group.
For more information contact Ghassan Basheer on 0800 800 401 or email ghassan.basheer@ew.govt.nz
